Donkey milk shows promise in traditional Serbian cheese: full analysis

A new Serbian study adds to the small but growing body of research on donkey milk in cheesemaking, this time looking at a traditional regional product. In the 2025 Foods paper, researchers found that adding 10% or 20% pooled donkey milk from autochthonous Balkan and Banat breeds to rolled cheese made from raw cow’s milk did not significantly change microbiological quality or overall hedonic sensory scores, though it did shift the cheese’s chemical and mineral profile. (mdpi.com)

That finding matters because donkey milk has long attracted interest for its nutritional profile, but it is notoriously difficult to turn into cheese. Its low dry matter, low fat, low protein, and especially low casein content limit coagulation and yield, which is one reason most commercial and research applications have focused on liquid milk, supplements, cosmetics, or blended dairy products rather than standalone cheese. A 2024 Serbian paper on Balkan and Banat donkey milk described that same compositional challenge, reporting low protein and fat alongside relatively high lactose across lactation. (doiserbia.nb.rs)

The new study also sits within a broader Serbian dairy context. Podliveni cheese is part of the country’s traditional cheese-making heritage and is commonly produced from raw or pasteurized cow’s milk depending on the setting. Earlier Serbian literature describes it as a household or small-plant cheese with relatively simple processing steps, underscoring why researchers may see it as a practical platform for testing novel milk blends without abandoning a familiar regional product. (scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs)

In the trial, cheeses containing 10% and 20% donkey milk were compared with a cow’s milk control. The authors reported no meaningful differences in total mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, or coagulase-positive staphylococci across groups, and concluded that donkey milk addition did not influence microbiological status. On sensory testing, standard liking scores were broadly similar, but triangle testing showed assessors could still distinguish donkey-milk cheeses from the control, suggesting perceptible differences even when overall acceptance did not significantly change. Taste scores trended upward at the 20% inclusion level, which the authors linked in part to donkey milk’s higher lactose content. (mdpi.com)

There is some outside context for that result. A 2022 Animals paper on Caciotta cheese found that adding 5% donkey milk improved consumer acceptability after longer ripening, and the authors argued the ingredient could help differentiate specialty cheeses and potentially reduce certain defects. Taken together, the studies suggest donkey milk may have a place in blended, premium-positioned cheeses, but the benefits likely depend on formulation, ripening time, and the cheese style itself. (mdpi.com)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, this is a niche dairy story with broader relevance to herd health, food safety, and conservation agriculture. Native donkey breeds such as the Balkan and Banat donkey are not just genetic resources; they may also support specialty food markets that give breeders an economic reason to maintain small populations. If those markets grow, veterinarians may increasingly be asked to advise on lactation management, mastitis prevention, biosecurity, raw-milk hygiene, and welfare standards in nontraditional dairy species. At the same time, the study should not be read as a blanket safety endorsement for raw-milk innovation. The paper itself notes contamination risks tied to raw milk, equipment, and handling, and cites prior work showing microbial hazards remain a live issue in raw-milk cheeses. (doiserbia.nb.rs)

There’s also a practical commercialization question. Donkey milk remains a low-volume, high-cost ingredient, and its composition makes cheesemaking technically challenging. That means the most realistic path forward may be selective incorporation into specialty cheeses rather than broad substitution for bovine milk. For veterinary professionals working with small ruminant and mixed-species dairies, the takeaway is that product innovation is expanding beyond cattle, but the success of those products will still depend on basic animal health, milk quality, and careful processing controls. (doiserbia.nb.rs)

What to watch: The key next signals will be replication in larger production settings, testing under pasteurized conditions, more data on pathogen risk and shelf life, and whether processors can pair donkey milk’s niche nutritional story with a viable supply chain from conserved local breeds. The authors specifically call for more work at higher inclusion levels and with longer-ripened cheeses, which will likely determine whether this remains an interesting formulation study or becomes a usable model for specialty dairy development. (mdpi.com)