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Camel milk is a newcomer to domestic markets and especially to the international milk market. This recent emergence has been accompanied by a diversification of processed products, based on the technologies developed for milk from other dairy species. However, technical innovations had to be adapted to a product with specific behavior and composition. The transformation of camel milk into pasteurized milk, fermented milk, cheese, powder, or other products was supported, under the pressure of commercial development, by technological innovations made possible by a basic and applied research set. Some of these innovations regarding one of the less studied milk sources are presented here, as well as their limitations. Technical investigations for an optimal pasteurization, development of controlled fermentation at industrial scale, control of cheese technology suitable for standardized production, and improvements in processes for the supply of a high-quality milk powder are among the challenges of research regarding camel milk.

The Camelidae family comprises the Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius), and four species of South American camelids: llama (Lama glama), alpaca (Lama pacos) guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and vicuña (Vicugna vicugna). The main characteristic of these species is their ability to cope with either hard climatic conditions like those found in arid regions (Bactrian and dromedary camels) or high-altitude landscapes like those found in South America (South American camelids). Because of such interesting physiological and adaptive traits, the interest for these animals as livestock species has increased considerably over the last years. In general, the main animal products obtained from these animals are meat, milk, and hair fiber, although they are also used for races and work among other activities. In the near future, climate change will likely decrease agricultural areas for animal production worldwide, particularly in the tropics and subtropics where competition with crops for human consumption is a major problem already. In such conditions, extensive animal production could be limited in some extent to semi-arid rangelands, subjected to periodical draughts and erratic patterns of rainfall, severely affecting conventional livestock production, namely cattle and sheep. In the tropics and subtropics, camelids may become an important protein source for humans. This article aims to review some of the recent literature about the meat, milk, and hair fiber production in the six existing camelid species highlighting their benefits and drawbacks, overall contributing to the development of camelid production in the framework of food security.

Although, it is occupying quantitavely a marginal place among the domestic herbivorous (0.4% only of the world domestic herbivorous), the large camelids (dromedary and Bactrian) are present in almost all the arid lands of the old world (except in Southern Africa), being wide spreading over 35 million km2. They are overall remarkable valorizators of these spaces by their productive potential and by their role in the agro-ecosystemic balance of the arid lands, especially with the current climatic changes. Elsewhere, they are known for their physiological peculiarities linked to their adaptation ability to harsh conditions of the desert and of its margin. In consequence, they represent a fabulous biological model for the scientists from different disciplines. Their place in the modern world has to be re-evaluated by considering these trends and these particularities.

Camel breeding plays an important role in sustaining pastoral systems in the arid and desert regions of Southern Tunisia, yet the sector remains marginal and insufficiently documented. This study aimed to assess the sustainably production potential of the Tunisian camel herd and to project future meat and milk production. Given the limited availability of detailed statistical data, a demographic simulation model adapted to Tunisian conditions was used to analyze herd dynamics under equilibrium scenarios. Sustainable offtake rates were estimated, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the influence of fertility and mortality on productivity. The results indicate that an average annual offtake rate of about 19.1 percent of the herd can be achieved without compromising demographic stability. Productivity gains were primarily driven by improvements in reproductive performance, while further reductions in mortality had a limited effect. Projections for the period 2022 to 2030 show moderate but consistent increases in herd size as well as meat and milk production. These findings suggest that sustainable development of camel production in arid environments relies on adaptive management strategies focused on reproduction, mobility, and market integration rather than conventional intensification.

Fermented camel milk, named shubat in Central Asia, is historically and culturally important because it is mainly consumed by Kazakh people who live not only in Kazakhstan but also in close neighboring countries. However, despite its cultural and dietetic significance for this local population, research on its composition and processing technology and the richness of its microflora is relatively scarce. The present review of this product, which is an important beverage in the Kazakh culture, provides up-to-date information regarding its main components and their variability according to different factors, surveys recent changes in the processing technologies for making it using modern techniques, and explores the biodiversity of its microflora. It was reported that the protein, vitamin C, and calcium contents in shubat vary between 1.19 and 5.63%, 28 and 417 mg L−1, and 1.03 and 1.88 g L−1. The lactose content totally disappears. Shubat contains a complex microbial consortium that contributes to its strong reputation for health benefits, but a scientific demonstration of these claims has only been partially achieved.

Camel breeding in Europe has undergone significant changes, intertwining historical continuity with modern innovation. Historically, dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), played essential roles in Roman logistics, medieval rituals, and agriculture, leaving archeological and cultural footprints across Europe. Following a decline during the Middle Ages, camels were largely confined to exotic collections. However, the past few decades have witnessed a resurgence in camel farming, primarily driven by tourism and the demand for camel milk, with an estimated 5000–6000 camels now present in Europe. Despite their adaptability to harsh climates and nutritional advantages, the sector faces challenges such as small population sizes, fragmented breeding efforts, and the absence of regulatory frameworks tailored to camels. Advances in genomic tools, including genome-wide association studies and SNP genotyping, have created opportunities for the genetic management of camels in Europe, yet also reveal concerns about low genetic diversity stemming from founder effects. Addressing these issues requires coordinated international efforts, standardized phenotype recording, and enhanced welfare guidelines. With climate change highlighting the resilience of camels to arid environments, their potential as sustainable livestock remains promising. This review underscores the balance between preserving the historical legacy of camels in Europe and fostering their integration into contemporary agricultural systems.

The rapid global spread of antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic microorganisms poses a serious challenge to both human and animal health, underscoring the urgent need for new strategies to combat resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), key components of the innate immune system, are promising candidates because they disrupt the membranes of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, thereby reducing the risk of resistance development. Lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional iron-binding glycoprotein abundant in mammalian milk, is a rich source of AMPs. Cationic peptide fragments such as lactoferricin and lactoferrampin exhibit more potent direct antimicrobial activity than the intact protein. Our previous studies have shown that peptides derived from Equine milk lactoferrin exhibit antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oncogenic activity in silico, highlighting their multifunctional bioactive potential. Building on these results, the present study aims to investigate the antimicrobial properties of these peptides. We used an integrated approach combining computer modeling and in vitro studies to identify and validate novel antimicrobial peptides from equine milk lactoferrin. Bioinformatics tools, including AMPScanner and CAMP, were used to predict antimicrobial domains, followed by experimental testing against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results showed that equine milk lactoferrin peptides possess potent and selective antimicrobial activity, with efficacy varying across bacterial species. These data expand the functional profile of lactoferrin-derived peptides, demonstrating their multifunctionality, and suggest that equine milk lactoferrin represents a promising natural source of antimicrobial agents, supporting alternative strategies to reduce antibiotic use in human and veterinary medicine.

Body measurements are used regularly to describe phenotypes or the weight of animals. However, little data describe the age effect on the different measurements. In the present paper, 477 Bactrian camels (7–180 months old) were measured (length of the head, length and circumference of the neck, height at the withers, girth circumference, length of the front leg, and length of the body), and their growth was modeled by comparing different equations, the most convenient being the beta growth equation. In addition, the differences in body measurements of adult Bactrian camels between farms were tested by variance analysis, and multivariate analyses were used for identifying homogeneous clusters of camels according to their body measurements. The sampled animals were from different regions of the country. The significant relationships between cluster and region support the idea of racial differentiation. Body condition scoring is widely used in farm animals as an indicator of their feeding, health, and welfare status. If a body condition score is available for dromedaries, there is no specific grid for the Bactrian camel. Starting from typical examples taken from photos in different conditions, including extreme ones, a representation of a scoring system of 6 points from very emaciated (score 0) to overweight Bactrian camel (score 5) was proposed in the form of drawings from the right side, back, and three-quarter rear. To complete the drawings, a descriptive grid was built as a base for training stakeholders in relation to Bactrian camel farm management. However, the seasonal change in the fleece abundance, the variability of the humps’ shape, and the presence of crossbreeding with dromedary camels require adapting the scoring accordingly.

Dromedaries have been fundamental to the development of human societies in arid landscapes and for long-distance trade across hostile hot terrains for 3,000 y. Today they continue to be an important livestock resource in marginal agro-ecological zones. However, the history of dromedary domestication and the influence of ancient trading networks on their genetic structure have remained elusive. We combined ancient DNA sequences of wild and early-domesticated dromedary samples from arid regions with nuclear microsatellite and mitochondrial genotype information from 1,083 extant animals collected across the species’ range. We observe little phylogeographic signal in the modern population, indicative of extensive gene flow and virtually affecting all regions except East Africa, where dromedary populations have remained relatively isolated. In agreement with archaeological findings, we identify wild dromedaries from the southeast Arabian Peninsula among the founders of the domestic dromedary gene pool. Approximate Bayesian computations further support the “restocking from the wild” hypothesis, with an initial domestication followed by introgression from individuals from wild, now-extinct populations. Compared with other livestock, which show a long history of gene flow with their wild ancestors, we find a high initial diversity relative to the native distribution of the wild ancestor on the Arabian Peninsula and to the brief coexistence of early-domesticated and wild individuals. This study also demonstrates the potential to retrieve ancient DNA sequences from osseous remains excavated in hot and dry desert environments.

Nutritional suitability of milk is not only related to gross composition, but is also strongly affected by the microheterogeniety of the protein fraction. Hence, to go further into the evaluation of the potential suitability of non-bovine milks in human/infant nutrition it is necessary to have a detailed characterization of their protein components. Combining proven proteomic approaches (SDS-PAGE, LC-MS/MS and LC-ESI-MS) and cDNA sequencing, we provide here in depth characterization of the milk protein fraction of dromedary and Bactrian camels, and their hybrids, from different regions of Kazakhstan. A total 391 functional groups of proteins were identified from 8 camel milk samples. A detailed characterization of 50 protein molecules, relating to genetic variants and isoforms arising from post-translational modifications and alternative splicing events, belonging to nine protein families (κ-, αs1-, αs2-, β-; and γ-CN, WAP, α-LAC, PGRP, CSA/LPO) was achieved by LC-ESI-MS. The presence of two unknown proteins UP1 (22,939 Da) and UP2 (23,046 Da) was also reported as well as the existence of a β-CN short isoform (946 Da lighter than the full-length β-CN), arising very likely in both genetic variants (A and B) from proteolysis by plasmin. In addition, we report, for the first time to our knowledge, the occurrence of a αs2-CN phosphorylation isoform with 12P groups within two recognition motifs, suggesting thereby the existence of two kinase systems involved in the phosphorylation of caseins in the mammary gland. Finally, we demonstrate that genetic variants, which hitherto seemed to be species- specific (e.g. β-CN A for Bactrian and β-CN B for dromedary), are in fact present both in Camel dromedarius and C. bactrianus.