Chemical evaluation of donkey milk yoghurt mixed with milk from different animal species

The objective of this study was to prepare three donkey milk yoghurt formulations mixed with goat, cow and buffalo milk. The formulations were developed with 50% donkey milk and 50% cow, buffalo or goat milk. Concentrated mango pulp was added for flavouring. An evaluation was performed on the chemical composition of each milk sample and the formulated yoghurts. The donkey milk showed the lowest values for fat, protein, casein, total solids and non-fat solids. In turn, goat milk reached higher levels of fat and total solids. Furthermore, buffalo milk stood out with the highest values of protein and non-fat solids. Yoghurt made with donkey and buffalo milk showed higher concentrations of protein, lactose, total solids and non-fat solids. In contrast, the yoghurt that contained donkey and cow milk in its formulation obtained a higher fat percentage and a lower percentage of lactose, total solids and non-fat solids. The low content of fat and total solids in donkey milk, in addition to the structure of the casein micelles and small fat globules favor low consistency in fermented products. Thus, mixing donkey milk with milks from other animal species can result in better chemical composition and better consistency.