Donkey milk research · Study 131

Composition of donkey milk: a 2025 review

The review gives around 6.34 g lactose and 1.4–1.8 g protein per 100 mL for donkey milk, a whey protein share of about 55–65 % and around 1.29 % fat; vitamin C is said to be about 4.75 times higher than in cow milk.

Important: A narrative review without measurements of its own. It summarises literature values and does not show any health effect of donkey milk.

At a glance · swipe or use the arrows

The key figures

6.34 g/100 mLlactose in donkey milk (text)

1.4–1.8 g/100 mLtotal protein (text)

55–65 %share of whey proteins in protein (text)

≈ 50 %casein share in donkey milk, cow milk ≈ 80 % (text)

≈ 1.29 %average fat content, around 40 % of cow milk

> 95 %share of triglycerides in fat

≈ 4.75 ×vitamin C compared with cow milk (Table 2: 5.16 mg/kg)

80–120 mg/100 gcalcium (cow milk 120–130, human milk 32–35)

0.33 g/kglactoferrin (Table 2)

3.46 g/kgβ-lactoglobulin (Table 2)

2.00 g/kgα-lactalbumin (Table 2)

9authors, Liaocheng University (China)

Study design

How it was studied

Narrative review by nine authors from Liaocheng University in China, published in July 2025. According to the methods section, literature was searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and X-MOL; theses, book chapters, conference papers and unpublished data were excluded. Work from the last five years was prioritised, with individual sources going back to 2006. The paper summarises data on protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and describes discussed biological properties. It contains no measurements of its own; according to the authors, it does not follow the strict methodology of a systematic review.

Review

Study typeNarrative reviewCountryChinaYear2025JournalFoods

Interactive chart · values from the study

Donkey, cow and human milk compared

Midpoint of the ranges given in Table 1 of the review (own calculation, g/kg). Donkey milk: protein 12.5–21.8, casein 6.4–10.3, fat 1.0–14.0, lactose 60.3–72.8 g/kg. Switch using the buttons.

Second analysis

Protein components of donkey milk

Values from Table 2 of the review (g/kg). Together, the six whey proteins add up exactly to the whey protein content of 8.63 g/kg given there. The abbreviation LYS is not explained in the paper.

Results

What the study measured

Protein: The text gives 1.4–1.8 g total protein per 100 mL and a whey protein share of about 55–65 %; the introduction mentions 64.3 %. The casein share is said to be about 80 % in cow milk, about 50 % in donkey milk and lower in human milk.

Carbohydrates and fat: Lactose is given as about 6.34 g per 100 mL, in Table 1 as 60.3–72.8 g/kg (cow milk 44.0–49.0, human milk 63.0–70.0). Average fat content is around 1.29 %, about 40 % of cow milk; triglycerides make up over 95 % of the fat.

Vitamins: Vitamin C is said to be about 4.75 times higher than in cow milk; Table 2 gives 5.16 mg/kg vitamin C and 4.49 mg/kg vitamin E. Vitamin D is described as not particularly high, without a figure.

Minerals: Calcium is given as 80–120 mg/100 g (cow milk 120–130, human milk 32–35 mg/100 g). According to the text, iron is 0.3–0.5 mg/100 g and zinc 0.5–0.7 mg/100 g. Table 2 also gives 513 mg/kg phosphorus, 438 mg/kg potassium, 194 mg/kg sodium and 47.6 mg/kg magnesium.

Biological properties: Antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties are described on the basis of earlier laboratory and animal studies, and the authors themselves mostly classify them as potential effects. As obstacles for the sector, they name low milk yield, a lack of standards for production and quality control, and sustainable animal husbandry.

Authors’ conclusion: In the view of Xu and colleagues (2025), donkey milk resembles human milk more closely than cow milk in composition and properties. They call for in-depth clinical studies, standardised production, quality standards and better methods for preserving bioactive components. The applications described are based on literature, not on investigations of their own.

Critical appraisal

Strengths and limitations

Not a systematic reviewClear limitation

The authors themselves point out that their work does not follow the strict methodology of a systematic review. The selection and weighting of sources is therefore not transparently documented, and an assessment of study quality is missing.

No data of its ownClear limitation

All values come from earlier publications. The biological properties described are largely based on laboratory and animal studies and have not been shown in humans.

Contradictory figuresNote

The whey protein share is given as 55–65 %, but a casein share of about 50 % would correspond to roughly 50 % whey. Iron is given as 0.3–0.5 mg/100 g in the text and as 2.1 mg/kg in Table 2 (equivalent to 0.21 mg/100 g).

Wide rangesNote

Table 1 gives 1.0–14.0 g/kg for the fat content of donkey milk. Such ranges reflect differences between breeds, lactation stages and analytical methods; single values are therefore only a rough guide.

Current, broad overviewStrength

The paper brings together recent literature on nutrients and discussed properties of donkey milk, states its search strategy and openly names research gaps.

clear limitationnotestrength

Editorial note: The review is a good introduction to the composition of donkey milk, but not a source for claims about effects. Its figures are literature values with partly wide ranges and some contradictions. Anyone who needs exact values should consult the original studies cited. To the research archive.

Research question for DON DONKEY’S®

How much do lactose, protein, fat and vitamin C in donkey milk differ between breeds, farms and lactation stages when measured with uniform methods in a large sample series?

NutrientsReviewComparison with cow milk

Original publication

Nutritional Composition and Biological Activities of Donkey Milk: A Narrative Review

Original title: Nutritional Composition and Biological Activities of Donkey Milk: A Narrative Review

Xu Q., Wei L., Chen X., Zhu H., Wei J., Zhu M., Khan M. Z., Wang C., Zhang Z.
Foods · 2025 · 14(13), 2337

College of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China

DOI: 10.3390/foods14132337

Transparency: funded among others by the National Key R&D Program of China, the Shandong Donkey Industrial Innovation Team and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. No product-related statement for DON DONKEY’S®.

Summarised and checked by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team against the original publication · As of: November 2026

End of the study summary

Note on our products

The study summarised above was carried out independently of DON DONKEY’S® and does not relate to our products. It serves solely to inform about the state of research.

DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk and donkey milk powder are foods. They are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease and do not replace medical advice.

From our shop

DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk

100 % donkey milk · raw milk, frozen

On this page we report the findings of a published study. Independently of that, you will find our donkey milk here: 100 % donkey milk, frozen as raw milk.

Transparency: The review does not refer to our donkey milk.

€24,90

100 ml bottle / 100ml · Unit price: €249,00 / 1 l · incl. VAT, plus shipping

View all sizes & purchase options →

Also in our shop

Donkey Milk Powder

Donkey milk in powder form

For anyone who prefers a longer shelf life: our donkey milk in powder form – easy to store and portion.

Transparency: The review does not refer to our donkey milk powder.