For centuries, people in Central Asia have believed in the health benefits of horse milk.
Now, Polish researchers suggest that horse milk could even be used in ice cream.
Not only does it taste good, but it could also benefit gut health.
Researchers at West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin developed four different types of ice cream, finding that those containing fermented horse milk acted as effective probiotic treatments, helping to prevent harmful bacteria from taking hold in the gut.
The proteins in the milk have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects when digested.
The scientists created four varieties of ice cream using horse milk.
One contained yogurt bacteria, another included yogurt bacteria with the probiotic inulin, the third had the bacteria lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, and the fourth contained the bacteria lactiplantibacillus.
The horse milk was pasteurized at 65 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, similar to the process for cow’s milk, and then 60 samples of ice cream were prepared.
Testing the samples the next day, researchers found that all samples had similar overrun and melting rates, with no significant differences in protein and fat levels.
The samples had a “creamy white” color that was described as “natural and attractive.”
The texture was noted to be “soft, quite creamy, and slightly coarse,” with a “pleasant and creamy taste.”
One sample, which contained inulin and the bacteria lactiplantibacillus plantarum, had a “distinctly more acidic flavor” compared to the others.
In their study, published in *PLoS ONE*, the scientists concluded that horse milk is a good medium for probiotics, possibly due to its high lactose content, which serves as a substrate for probiotic bacteria.
While the literature on horse milk ice cream is limited, they suggested that horse milk could be a viable raw material for yogurt and synbiotic ice cream production.
Previous research has indicated that horse milk may be useful in treating conditions like tuberculosis, gastric ulcers, and chronic hepatitis.
In the UK, an increasing number of people are choosing plant-based milk alternatives over cow’s milk.
The rise in allergy-related diseases in children is concerning, with the World Health Organization predicting that half of the global population could suffer from an allergy by 2025.
Recent UK government data shows that around 2.4 million adults have food allergies, and hospital admissions for severe reactions have more than tripled in the past 20 years.
Some children who are severely allergic to cow’s milk have been found to tolerate horse milk as a substitute.
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