Buyer protection
Contents
Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for scientific and historical information about the components of donkey milk. It contains no health-related recommendations and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have any health-related questions, please consult a qualified doctor or pharmacist.
Donkey milk contains lysozyme — an enzyme that has been scientifically studied for over 100 years and is found in many natural fluids in the human and animal body. In this post, we explore what science documents about lysozyme and the role donkey milk has played in historical and modern research.
What is lysozyme?
Lysozyme is an enzyme that was first described in 1922 by the British scientist Alexander Fleming — the same researcher who later discovered penicillin. Fleming originally isolated the enzyme from human nasal mucus and documented its biochemical properties. Lysozyme belongs to the glycoside hydrolases and is present in many biological fluids.
Where lysozyme occurs naturally
Lysozyme is one of the most widespread enzymes in nature. It is found in:
- Human saliva and tears
- Human and animal breast milk
- Egg whites (it was first crystallized there)
- Various types of animal milk — particularly prominent in donkey milk
Lysozyme in donkey milk: What analyses show
Scientific studies of the composition of donkey milk document a significantly higher lysozyme content compared to cow's milk. Studies cite values that are many times higher than those of cow's milk. The composition of donkey milk is often compared in research to that of human breast milk — one of the reasons it played a special role in historical child nutrition.
This observation is a purely biochemical fact and has been documented in various scientific publications, including in the specialist literature on comparative milk analysis. You can find an overview of other components in our post on the ingredients and nutritional values of donkey milk.
Historical significance: Why Parisian hospitals kept donkeys
The special composition of donkey milk was a topic in European medicine long before modern biochemistry. In the 19th century, donkeys were kept directly on site in several Parisian hospitals. The reason: infants whose mothers could not breastfeed were to be fed with an animal milk that, according to the understanding of the time, came closest to human breast milk.
Important for today: Donkey milk is not a substitute for breast milk or infant formula. The nutrition of infants and children should be coordinated with a pediatrician.
According to tradition, even Hippocrates (460–370 BC), who is considered the founder of Western medicine, mentioned donkey milk in his writings. Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) also described numerous uses in his work "Naturalis Historia". And the Egyptian queen Cleopatra is famously said to have bathed in donkey milk — following this tradition, Roman nobles such as Poppaea Sabina, the wife of Emperor Nero, kept entire herds of 500 donkeys.
Lysozyme in modern research
Lysozyme is today the subject of numerous research projects. It is being investigated in the following areas, among others:
- Comparative studies on the composition of milk types
- Basic research on enzyme kinetics
- Applications in food technology (e.g. as a natural component in ripening processes)
- Studies on the composition of breast milk and its alternatives
Numerous scientific publications are accessible via the databases PubMed, Google Scholar, or scientific specialist libraries. Those who wish to delve deeper into the subject will find extensive review articles there on the role of lysozyme in various types of milk.
Donkey milk as a natural product in modern nutrition
From a food law perspective, donkey milk is a natural product — an animal milk that is deliberately chosen by some people due to its special composition. Anyone who wishes to integrate donkey milk into their daily diet should pay attention to several quality criteria:
- Origin: From which region and from which farms does the milk come?
- Animal husbandry: How are the animals kept, and how large are the herds?
- Processing: How is the milk treated after milking (e.g. shock freezing preserves many natural components)?
- Laboratory analyses: Is every batch tested for purity and composition?
At DON DONKEY'S®, we distribute European donkey milk that is hand-milked on carefully selected partner farms. It is laboratory-tested in Germany before it reaches our customers. We deliberately make no health-related claims — what we offer is a high-quality natural product of traceable quality.
Frequently asked questions about lysozyme and donkey milk
What exactly is lysozyme?
Lysozyme is an enzyme from the group of glycoside hydrolases. It was first described in 1922 by Alexander Fleming and is found in many biological fluids, including human saliva, tears, breast milk, and egg whites.
Does donkey milk contain more lysozyme than cow's milk?
Yes. Comparative scientific analyses document that donkey milk has a significantly higher lysozyme content than cow's milk. This is one of the characteristics highlighted in research on comparative milk analysis.
Why was donkey milk used in Parisian hospitals?
In the 19th century, donkey milk was considered the animal milk closest to human breast milk. It was given to infants in several Parisian hospitals whose mothers could not breastfeed. Donkeys were kept directly on site for this purpose.
Where is donkey milk produced today?
Donkey milk is produced today mainly in Southern and Eastern Europe — in Italy, France, Spain, and the Balkans. At DON DONKEY'S®, we work with selected partner farms in Europe.
How can you recognize high-quality donkey milk?
Quality criteria include: traceable origin, transparent information about animal husbandry, gentle processing (e.g. shock freezing), and laboratory analysis of every batch. At DON DONKEY'S®, every delivery is tested in Germany for purity and composition.
Conclusion
Lysozyme is a scientifically well-documented enzyme that occurs in donkey milk in a remarkable concentration. The research into this special composition dates far back historically — to Hippocrates and the Parisian hospitals of the 19th century. Anyone interested in donkey milk as a natural product will find European milk from carefully selected origins in our product selection.
At DON DONKEY'S®, we distribute European donkey milk, hand-milked — shock-frozen, laboratory-tested in Germany, delivered directly to your home.
You can find further information about origin and production on our page How we work with our partner farms.
