Donkey milk shows promise in traditional Serbian cheese

Researchers in Serbia reported that adding pooled milk from autochthonous Balkan and Banat donkeys to a traditional raw cow’s milk cheese changed the product’s composition without disrupting core production outcomes. In the 2025 Foods study, rolled cheese made with 10% or 20% donkey milk showed no significant differences in microbiological quality or hedonic sensory scores versus cheese made from raw cow’s milk alone, although the added donkey milk did alter parts of the chemical and mineral profile. The work builds on broader interest in donkey milk as a niche dairy ingredient with low fat, low protein, high lactose content, and potential use in value-added foods. (mdpi.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the study is less about companion animal medicine than about food systems, herd health, and the commercialization of milk from minor species. It suggests donkey milk from native Serbian breeds may be incorporated into traditional dairy products without obvious microbiological penalties at the tested inclusion rates, but it also reinforces practical constraints: donkey milk’s low casein content makes cheesemaking difficult, and raw-milk production still requires close attention to hygiene, udder health, milking practices, and pathogen control. That matters for veterinarians advising small farms, mixed-species dairies, conservation breeding programs, or producers exploring premium functional foods tied to local breeds and regional identity. (mdpi.com)

What to watch: The next step is whether follow-on studies test higher donkey milk inclusion rates, longer ripening periods, pasteurized systems, or commercial-scale production before this remains more of a specialty concept than a scalable dairy category. (mdpi.com)