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Research on donkey milk · Study 45
Raw or as powder – does it make a difference?
In 2026, a Romanian research team fed raw and spray-dried donkey milk to rabbits. The question: do the animals respond similarly to both forms – or does drying change what can be measured in the blood?
What it's about
Extending shelf life – without losing anything?
Raw donkey milk is delicate and keeps only for a short time. In spray drying, it is atomised into hot air and turned into powder – easy to store and transport. What remains open is whether components that trigger measurable reactions in the body are lost in the process.
Instead of only analysing the powder in the laboratory, the team compared both forms in the living animal: after a controlled vaccination stimulus, young rabbits received either raw donkey milk, dissolved powder or nothing extra.
What exactly was studied?
Briefly explained
What was measured here
Liquid is sprayed finely into hot air, the water evaporates and powder remains.
An enzyme produced by the body, measured here in the rabbits' blood.
Antibodies in the blood. The total amount was measured, not vaccine-specific antibodies.
Tests whether two groups are equivalent within a defined margin – here ±10 %.
One batch of milk from 25 jennies, frozen raw or spray-dried.
All rabbits received a vaccination as a controlled stimulus for the immune system.
From the following day, 2 mL of raw milk or dissolved powder daily for four weeks.
Blood samples before the start and then weekly, blood count after four weeks.
Interactive · The data at a glance
Two forms, one pattern?
How the groups were set up, what came out for lysozyme and immunoglobulins, how the blood count differed – and how similar raw and powder were overall. Switch between the views.
| After 4 weeks | Control | Raw | Powder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lymphocytes | 60,1 % | 65,5 % | 66,6 % |
| Neutrophils | 33,6 % | 27,5 % | 27,0 % |
| Reticulocytes | 5,21 % | 3,81 % | 3,78 % |
Values rounded from the freely available original publication (mean values after four weeks). Further blood values and statistical details are described there.
Key findings
What the researchers report
Raw and powder statistically equivalent
+29.4 % raw · +33.1 % powderIn both milk groups, lysozyme in the blood rose compared with the baseline. The equivalence test confirmed equivalent courses. The authors interpret this as a response of the animal, not as milk lysozyme in the blood.
Similar, but not reliably equivalent
31.3 · 28.9 · 23.0 mg/mLThe values were higher in both milk groups than in the control (raw clearly, powder just not significant). Because of strong variation, equivalence could not be demonstrated.
No conspicuous patterns
liver, kidney, blood valuesIn blood chemistry and blood count, neither form of milk showed a coordinated unfavourable change. Individual values differed between the groups.
The authors conclude that in this model the spray-dried powder retained the essential responses of the raw milk. They themselves name as limitations: small groups, one dose, one batch, only four weeks, only young female animals.
Critical assessment
A comparison of forms, not proof of an effect
What the study shows
What it does not show
Research question for DON DONKEY’S®
What is preserved during processing?
We offer donkey milk raw and frozen and as powder. For us, the most interesting question is therefore how the composition changes through drying – measured in the food itself, not by an effect.
Original publication
Comparative Evaluation of the Functional and Immunomodulatory Properties of Raw and Spray-Dried Donkey Milk
Plotuna A.-M., Hotea I., Imre K., Herman V., Nichita I., Popa I., Pop M., Tîrziu E.
Foods · 2026 · volume 15, issue 18, article 3256 · open access
An animal study with rabbits – no product-related statement for DON DONKEY’S®.
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.
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.
20g · Unit price: €1.245,00 / 1 kg · incl. VAT, plus shipping
View all sizes & purchase options →