Milk and Meat from the Camel

Book excerpt: Camel husbandry is becoming increasingly important in the arid zones of Africa. The camel has long been the mainstay of pastoral societies due to its drought tolerance, reliable milk and meat supply and ability to feed on a wide variety of plants. In the last few years, however, camels are also seen more and more in semi-arid rangelands, especially where overgrazing has depleted the grasses and increased the relative importance of shrubs. In spite of this growing importance, research on camel was limited until the early seventies to studies on topics such as anatomy, physiology, behaviour and to a lesser extent disease. However, since the early eighties the interest of the research on camels has been growing. Most advances have been made in reproductive physiology, veterinary and in the biochemistry of milk, while practical oriented research on improving camel productivity by developing marketable products targeting small and middle enterprises regrettably received little attention. This book attempts to fill this gap. The authors have profound knowledge on use of the camel as milk and meat animal. This knowledge is based on results of research work carried out in partnership with universities, camel farmers and pastoralists in Eastern African countries. The first part deals with chemical composition, technological properties, hygienic safety and quality control of camel milk. This is followed by the presentation of processing methods for different dairy products which should allow smallholder producers to process milk on farm or in centralised small scale dairy unit. In the second part special knowledge gained in slaughtering, deboning and processing of camels on-site over several years of long-term stays on the Ol Maisor Farm in Kenya is presented. During the development of camel meat products the authors set a great value on the keeping quality of the products as well as creating a wide range of product groups with low and high cost for the local market and a good shelf life. The book presents background information and recipes on the manufacture of camel milk and meat products and it is intended as a practical guide to professionals, government bodies and development agencies interested in building up small scale processing units for camel meat and milk products. It is hoped that it may also serve as a reference for extension personal working with camel herders, food scientists and students. The book is concerned entirely with the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius). The term "camel" should, therefore, be taken to refer to this species unless specifically stated otherwise.