The province of Córdoba is home to a new commercial and food project as a result of the industrial production of natural donkey milk by the company Equslac. It is a nutritional alternative that is suitable for consumption by people of all ages, including those with specific food allergies or intolerances. The initiative arose a few years ago in the National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC) and, little by little, advances to new spaces.
One of his partners, Pablo Talano, who is an agronomist, told HOY DÍA CÓRDOBA about the path and reasons that led a large team of professionals to produce donkey milk. “We have been working as a group for a year and a half, but the project began after a trip to China in 2015 by the veterinarian and UNRC professor Luis Losinno,” Talano said. Losinno returned at that time with the idea of establishing in Argentina the production of milk that has outstanding nutritional properties ideal for the consumption of older people and those who have specific food allergies.
For this reason, the professional convened a team made up of producers, doctors, veterinarians, agronomists, food engineers, nutritionists and researchers, and offered them to develop a commercial product based on this research. Then, the experience of other countries such as Italy and China and related scientific studies served as a catalyst to establish the first small-scale experimental farm in the province of Córdoba.
Currently, different national universities have joined forces to deepen studies and tests on milk, the animal, and its conditions. In addition to the UNRC, they also work from the National University of Villa María (UNVM), the National University of Córdoba (UNC), the National University of La Pampa (UNLPam) and the National Technological University (UTN) of La Plata. Now, for example, at UNLPam they are working with the genetic development of donkeys.
At the Villa María dairy farm they have about 300 donkeys that produce milk, which is then sent to a pilot factory at the university where it is pasteurized, bottled and then labeled. Finally, it is frozen because it has a shelf life of more than six months.
The milk produced by Equslac can be consumed by anyone from six months of age. It is characterized by its compositional similarity to human breast milk, both in quantity and type of proteins and in minerals, vitamins and lactose. “It is a food well tolerated by infants and people with allergies to cow’s milk proteins,” says Talano. But donkey milk is not only recommended for people with allergies, but also for adults who seek to strengthen their health, thanks to its nutritional components that help prevent and improve age-related conditions.
On the other hand, the partner highlighted that when they started working on starting the company they observed the conditions of the donkeys and decided to work with certain parameters. “First of all, the facilities must be in a very good condition to ensure that production is produced and maintained without any possibility of contamination. On the other hand, in the dairy farm the system is totally pastoral and no agrochemicals are used, precisely to avoid transferring waste to the milk,” he explained. And last, but not least, he added that the donkeys live under what they themselves call “animal welfare”, that is, they live with their offspring all the time.
These conditions, being the only ones and the pioneers in the country in this production, were established as the rules to follow. Which implies that those who want to join this business in the future cannot afford to do so without guaranteeing sustainability, animal welfare and facilities with excellent conditions.
Likewise, Talano commented that they are negotiating with the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) the possibility of deregulating milk so that the mutuals cover them and that this helps those who need to consume this type of food due to their conditions. Likewise, they are working with doctors and doing studies to ensure the benefits of milk.
Along the same lines, those who work in the company have the idea of being able to produce milk powder in the short term to be able to reach more places and open the market to any part of the world. Likewise, as the necessary conditions are met, they are thinking about producing yogurt, dulce de leche, cheese and ice cream.
At the moment, Equslac is just starting up so at the moment it does not have a specific economic benefit but they are working so that in the future they can replicate the dairy farms and production quantities in the country. Furthermore, it is the only production of this style nationwide and one of the few in the region.
In that sense, the product can currently be purchased for a price of $9,900 per liter, when the liter of the competitor’s milk that is imported to Argentina is $37,000. So they see that the growth of the company could suppress these imports, benefiting national consumers, and at the same time generating local jobs. Likewise, they highlight the involvement of science and medicine in these instances, which open a door to innovation and knowledge.
Finally, Talano concluded that everyone involved in the production is “in love with the project.” Likewise, he highlighted the satisfaction of knowing that they help improve the quality of life of many people, generating a positive impact on regional communities and supporting national commerce.
