Features, nutritional value and chemical composition of sheep's milk. Benefits and harms when consumed. Recipes and cooking applications.
Sheep's milk is a nutritious liquid produced by the mammary glands of a sheep, a female ram, for feeding lambs. Lactation continues, even if the animal is artificially milked, but no longer than 6 months. The color of the product is white or yellowish, the structure is homogeneous, the taste of sheep's milk is pronouncedly sweet, the taste depends on the type of feed. The product is popular in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Italy, Greece and the Middle East. Whole milk is almost never used, despite its high digestibility, due to its not very pleasant smell. But on the other hand, many products are made from it - cheeses and lactic acid drinks.
The composition and calorie content of sheep milk
The nutritional value of the product is high, as a result of which it is not recommended to introduce it into the diet of those who are losing weight.
The calorie content of sheep milk is 111 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 5.6 g;
- Fat - 7.7 g;
- Carbohydrates - 4.8 g;
- Ash - 0.9 g;
- Water - 80.8 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 50 mcg;
- Retinol - 0.05 mg;
- Beta Carotene - 0.01 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.06 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.35 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 30 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.41 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 2 mcg;
- Vitamin B12, cobalamin - 0.5 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 5 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 0.18 mg;
- Vitamin H, biotin - 8.1 mcg;
- Vitamin PP - 1.5 mg;
- Niacin - 0.35 mg
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 198 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 178 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 11 mg;
- Sodium, Na 26 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 158 mg;
- Chlorine, Cl - 76 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 0.092 mg;
- Iodine, I - 2 μg;
- Cobalt, Co - 3 μg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.011 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 13 μg;
- Molybdenum, Mo - 8 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 13 μg;
- Strontium, Sr - 20 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.22 mg.
Digestible carbohydrates per 100 g:
- Mono- and disaccharides (sugars) - 4.8 g;
- Lactose - 4.8 g.
Essential amino acids per 100 g - 2.441 g, most of all isoleucine, leucine, lysine and phenylalanine + tyrosine complex.
The replaceable amino acids in goat milk are 3.134 g per 100 g, aspartic acid, proline and serine prevail.
Cholesterol - 30 mg per 100 g.
Of the fatty acids, omega-6 is present - 0.31 g.
Saturated fatty acids per 100 g - 4.6 g:
- Butter - 0.23 g;
- Nylon - 0.15 g;
- Caprylic - 0.15 g;
- Capric - 0.38 g;
- Lauric - 0.23 g;
- Myristic - 0.64 g;
- Palmitic - 1.64 g;
- Stearic - 0.97 g.
Monounsaturated fatty acids - 2.39 g per 100 g:
- Myristoleic - 0.04 g;
- Palmitoleic - 0.11 g;
- Oleic (omega-9) - 2.23 g.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids - 0.31 g per 100 g:
- Linoleic acid - 0.24 g;
- Arachidonic - 0.07 g.
The beneficial properties of sheep milk are provided by the following nutrients:
- Riboflavin - without it, the skin cracks, hair falls out, vision deteriorates, insomnia appears, and a general deterioration in the condition.
- Choline - when the body lacks this substance, cirrhosis of the liver occurs, memory deteriorates, and the functions of the reproductive system deteriorate.
- Ascorbic acid - participates in all redox reactions, increases the body's defenses.
- Potassium - with its lack, the work of the cardiovascular system is disrupted, convulsions appear, depression develops.
- Calcium - if it is not enough, bones become brittle, teeth are destroyed, atherosclerosis develops.
- Phosphorus - when the reserve is depleted, it becomes difficult to move, each change in position causes pain, the work of the urinary system is disrupted.
- Zinc is essential for skin health, without it, convulsive readiness appears and epilepsy develops.
The benefits and harms of sheep milk are determined by the content of nonessential and essential amino acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated acids. They improve digestibility, increase performance, have a beneficial effect on memory function and accelerate impulse conduction. But at the same time, accumulation in the body contributes to obesity and increases the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol plaques cause vasoconstriction and increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and coronary artery disease.
A quality product has a pH (acidity) of 6.25-6.28 units. This is due to its high protein content. If the indicator rises, curdling is accelerated - the technology for preparing fermented milk products is violated. To slow down acidification, rennet elements are used.
Useful properties of sheep milk
The product in its natural form is used to treat many diseases. Its healing effect was noticed by the healers of the Ancient East.
The benefits of sheep milk:
- Strengthens the skeletal system, prevents the development of osteoporosis and degenerative-dystrophic changes in the musculoskeletal system.
- Improves the condition of the skin and hair, reduces the symptoms of chronic dermatological diseases - eczema, psoriasis.
- Restores bone mass, suppresses rickets in children and helps to get rid of anorexia and anemia.
- Introduction to the diet of patients with dystrophy helps to quickly restore the condition.
- Replenishes the reserve of vitamins and minerals.
- It has an antioxidant effect, isolates free radicals traveling in the intestinal lumen, cleanses the liver and accelerates intoxication after antibiotic treatment and chemotherapy.
- Improves oxygen conductivity.
- It stabilizes the work of the central nervous system in general and the brain in particular, has a beneficial effect on memory function, and accelerates the conduction of nerve impulses.
- Helps to quickly cope with insomnia, irritability, prevents the development of depression.
- Improves vision.
The quick digestibility of the drink is ensured by an ideal combination of components - calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. When people regularly consume sheep's milk products, the reproductive system retains its functions longer.
If you introduce this drink into the diet during the rehabilitation period after debilitating diseases, the body quickly recovers. Allergies almost never occur, it can be safely used for bronchial asthma, conjunctivitis and rhinitis, which appeared due to seasonal hay fever.
Sheep milk has many more useful properties: it protects the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, reduces the absorption of alcohol, protects the liver from the decay products of ethyl alcohol. If you drink half a glass of sheep's milk before the feast, you will be able to keep your "sober" head, and in the morning you will not have to suffer from a hangover. Of course, if the dose of alcohol is "shock", more than 0.5 liters of vodka, drunk within 20 minutes, milk will not help.
Contraindications and harm of sheep milk
There are very few people who drink the drink in its pure form. But this is not explained by organic features, but rather by the mood - the rejection is caused by the smell and an unusual oily taste on the lips, if you try it for the first time.
An allergic reaction can occur with individual intolerance. It also happens that all your life you have consumed products from sheep's milk, and then unpleasant symptoms arose. This can be explained by the fact that the animal ate grass, which causes allergies in humans.
Sheep milk can cause harm in liver failure, biliary dyskinesia, chronic pancreatitis, gallstone disease. This is due to the increased fat content.
Obese people should also avoid eating this type of food. This will provoke even more weight gain.
However, if an obese patient has a history of heart disease, lung disease, or frequent allergies, you should not give up the medicine given by nature. You should only observe the dosage - no more than 150 g per day.
Sheep milk recipes
It is very difficult to milk a sheep. To collect a sufficient amount of raw materials, they begin to collect in advance, within 2-3 days. If earlier rennet was added to improve the quality, which sometimes negatively affected the final product, now you can safely use the freezer. Frozen milk retains all the beneficial properties in full. Cheese is most often made from this product.
Sheep milk recipes:
- Greek pickled cheese "Feta" … Heat milk, 4 liters, slowly, to a temperature of 34-35 ° C, stirring constantly so that the heating is uniform. 4 ml of calcium chloride is poured from an ampoule. Remove the container from the heat, pour thermophilic farm sourdough on the tip of a knife, let it stand for 3 minutes, and stir only then. Close tightly with a lid, leave for 1 hour at room temperature. The rennet, a quarter of a teaspoon, is dissolved in water, everything is mixed, the pan is set aside for another 1 hour. During this time, the milk should be completely curdled. Next, you need to monitor the production of cheese grains - experienced cheese makers determine the flocculation time by eye. The curd is left for a while to become dense. It takes up to 2.5 hours to cook the curd. Then the curd is cut into cubes with edges of about 1, 5 cm and stir, separating the whey. If the temperature is kept constant at 34-35 ° C, the grain will settle within 20 minutes. Then the grains are put into molds with a slotted spoon and left to ripen - you can put oppression. This raw cheese needs to be turned over periodically. Ripening is carried out at room temperature. When the cheese becomes dense, brine is diluted: 500 g of salt, 0.85 liters of cold water, an ampoule of calcium chloride, half a teaspoon of vinegar. Salted in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. Then they are dried, if necessary, they are again placed in brine. To improve the taste, you can add olives, vegetable oils, herbs. Allow the cheese to dry before eating.
- Cheese "Caciotta" … The mesophilic starter culture is purchased at the store. First, 1, 8 l of water is taken into a container, heated to almost 100 ° C, 0.5 tbsp is dissolved. l. calcium chloride, add 450 g of salt, not iodized. Saffron is poured into sheep's milk, 3, 8 liters, heated to 32 ° C, leaven is added and left for 5 minutes. Then everything is mixed, the saffron is removed. Stir from top to bottom, pouring in the rennet, allow to stand for 40-45 minutes, at a constant temperature. The curd curd is cut into cubes, stirring constantly so as not to stick together. Then, continuing to stir, raise the temperature by 2 ° C and discard the cheese grains in a colander. Sticking should take place after separation of the whey, under pressure. The weight of the oppression on the resulting cheese is 4-6 hours. The curd with the separated whey is turned over several times. The cheesecloth is removed, the cheese is immersed in the brine for 4 hours, left to ripen for 8 hours, turning over every 2 hours. For ripening, use a refrigerator shelf.
The most famous cheeses are made from sheep's milk. These are the popular "Roquefort", Provencal "Picodon" and "Brus-du-Rov", Caucasian feta cheese.
Sheep milk drinks:
- Matsoni … Sourdough, sour cream, kefir or yogurt, 1 tbsp. l, diluted with warm milk, 200 ml, and the rest of the raw materials are heated almost to a boil, the sourdough is poured in, cooled to 50 ° C, stirring constantly, and left in the oven so that it does not cool down. The drink is ready in 8-12 hours.
- Ayran … For 1 liter of raw material, 1.5 g of lipase and 100 ml of thermophilic streptococci are prepared. Lipase is diluted with warm water, 4 tbsp. l. Milk is fermented at the pasteurization stage, left warm until a homogeneous structure is obtained. Drink chilled. You can pour okroshka, use for kneading dough.
If cottage cheese is prepared from sheep's milk, then after decanting the whey, it is advisable to stir in chopped herbs or spices. If this is not done, it is unlikely that you will be able to enjoy a fermented milk product.
Interesting facts about sheep milk
In ancient Russia, dairy sheep were bred in the southern regions of the country, cheeses, cottage cheese, even sour cream were prepared from it. Such products were considered medicinal. Now the preparation of dishes from sheep's milk is practiced only in the Caucasus, in the republics of Central Asia and rarely in the Crimea.
The number of sheep in the CIS decreased first during the Great Patriotic War, and then it was restored again. By the 1980s, milk was sold for export to European countries, the livestock population was estimated at 400 thousand. But after the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, since the radionuclides remained in the fur of animals for a long time, they got rid of them. The agricultural sector has begun to revive only now.
Sheep milk is an expensive product, but it is more profitable to make cheese from it than from other types of raw materials. The yield is 18-25%, from cow or goat milk - 9-12%.
On the territories of New Zealand sheep farms, whole industrial complexes are being built, which produce powdered sheep milk, cheeses and even ice cream. 80% of the final product is sold to other countries, 20% is left for their own needs.
The best dairy sheep breeds:
- Ostfrieskaya - 600 liters of milk can be obtained from such a sheep per year;
- Tsigayskaya - these animals have less milk yield, up to 160 liters per year;
- Lakayune - bred thanks to selection, up to 400 liters per year;
- Awassi - 300 liters per year;
- Assaf - up to 450 liters per year.
Watch the video about sheep milk:
Sheep milk is introduced into the nutrition of weakened children. Thanks to mixtures with this component, they quickly gain weight and catch up with their stronger peers. But adults should limit themselves to cottage cheese and cheeses, since they are not able to assimilate whole milk or mixtures.
