Abstract
In the Republic of Kazakhstan, both one-humped (Camelus dromedaries) and two-humped (C. bactrianus) camels are occurring in pure or mixing herds. A beverage, named “shubat”, is prepared by fermenting camel milk without prior thermal processing. The production procedure is the same as those for the other camel milk beverages named “qaris” and “garris” in African countries, Mongolian “hoormog”, and also “kumiss” that is prepared from raw mare's milk. In this paper we analyzed 5 samples of Kazakhstan made “shubat” prepared from the milk of one-humped camel. The pH of the samples was 3.8-4.1, and the ethanol level varied from 0.6 to 2.8%. There was no significant difference in the chemical composition. The highest levels of amino acid, Ala and Pro contents were 7.8 and 12.3 mg/100 ml, respectively. Regarding trace components, the Zn content was highest in all samples. Sixty-five lactic acid bacterial strains isolated from the samples were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, L. paracasei subsp. paracasei, L. casei, L. helveticus, and Lactococcus lactis. The identification of yeast is ongoing, and most isolates exhibit a lactose-fermenting property. Since interest in health products has recently been increasing in Kazakhstan, the benefits of “shubat” may be re-evaluated in the near future.
