Buffalo milk, known to academia as the ‘king of milk’, with its highest nutritional value twice as high as that of traditional milk, makes its appearance at a beef-tasting event held at HZAU. The milk is developed by Professor Yang Liguo and his team (the College of Animal Sciences and Technology of HZAU).

Professor Liang Aixin, a member of the team, said that buffalo milk is sourced from the milk which results from calving. The easily digestible buffalo milk is regarded internationally as a premium dairy product for its high nutrient content and good taste. During the tasting, people lined up to savor the fresh milk and yogurt products made from buffalo milk. Spellbound by the smooth mouthfeel and the lingering aftertaste, everyone gave the thumbs-up to the products.

At the same time, Prof.Liang unraveled the mystery of the palatability of buffalo milk. Why its milk suits so many demanding palates is attributable to the fact that buffaloes are not vulnerable to mastitis and there are low somatic counts in its cells. In addition, the aromatic fatty acids and lactose that are contained in buffalo milk make for its unique texture and natural fragrance. However, here a question pops up: why isn’t buffalo milk readily available on in the marketplace? It is because its production has been low. A Holstein Friesian cattle produces about 10,000 kg milk per year, while a water buffalo’ s production of milk only stands at 800 kg per year. Consequently, the price of buffalo milk is usually more than three times that of ordinary milk on the international market.

Prof.Liang said that the team has been studying on the project since 2011. It introduced the Mediterranean buffalo which has higher milk production and also modified the local water buffalo through hybridization. It won’t be long before buffalo milk is available to average households.

http://news.hzau.edu.cn/2016/1008/46785.shtml

(By Zou Xiaofang)