Turkmen entrepreneur Polat Kanaev has launched production of freeze-dried camel milk under the Medat brand in the Gokdepe district of Ahal province, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported Saturday.
Kanaev established the farm on the territory of the Ahal farmers association. The production of powdered milk uses freeze-drying technology: The milk is first rapidly frozen at temperatures ranging from minus 40 to minus 80 degrees Celsius. The ice is then removed from the product directly as vapor under deep-vacuum conditions.
The technology minimizes changes to the milk’s taste and chemical composition. According to the source, it preserves 90% to 95% of the milk’s valuable proteins, milk fat, vitamins and minerals.
The farm also produces traditional camel milk products — chal and agaran — under the Chol gamisi brand. The camels graze year-round on pastures and feed on vegetation found in desert pastures. Food safety and sanitary and hygienic requirements are observed during milk processing and the production of chal and agaran.
The production is based on local camel breeding. One result of centuries of traditional breeding in Turkmenistan is the Arvana breed, a one-humped camel well adapted to the hot and dry climate of deserts and semi-deserts.
Arvana camels can go for long periods without water and feed on desert pasture plants, including saxaul, juzgun, camel thorn and chomuch. According to the source, a female Arvana produces an average of about 2,500 liters of milk during an 18-month lactation period, with a fat content of 3.5% to 3.8%.
