Chemical Composition and Nutritional Properties of Commercial Products of Mare Milk Powder

The chemical composition and the nutritional properties of two commercial products of powdered mare milk were assessed. The results showed that powdered mare milk products retained some peculiar characteristics of raw mare milk such as high whey protein and polyunsaturated fatty acid (C18:2; C18:3) contents and low casein content. On the contrary, lysine, tocopherols, and particularly vitamin C (high in raw mare milk) were partially destroyed in commercial powdered products. The loss of these nutrients could be due to the drying process and the storage conditions, which was confirmed by the high values of furosine andcis/transretinol ratio found. It is suggested that further studies should be carried out on the processing of powdered mare milk to identify the best drying and storage conditions in order to protect its compositional properties.