Preserving Mediterranean Donkeys: A Study on Milk Production and Nutritional Benefits

The aim of the study was to model lactation curves and assess the physicochemical properties, amino acid, and fatty acid profiles of milk from two Mediterranean donkey populations, Masri (n = 14) and North African (n = 14), using the Wood model. Over a lactation period of 205 ± 12.5 days, North African donkeys produced more milk (188.66 ± 7.19 kg) than Masri donkeys (163.42 ± 7.21 kg, p < 0.05). Peak milk yields occurred on day 57 for North African donkeys (1.212 kg/day) and day 59 for Masri donkeys (0.991 kg/day), with similar persistency indices of 7.19 and 7.21, respectively. North African donkey milk had significantly higher protein (1.45 ± 0.03 g/100 g) and β-lactoglobulin (4.75 ± 0.06 mg/mL) contents, while Masri donkey milk contained more fat (1.16 ± 0.05 g/100 g). Amino acid analysis revealed higher glutamate (0.27 ± 0.12 g/100 g) in North African donkey milk, while Masri donkey milk had more aspartate (0.16 ± 0.04 g/100 g). North African donkey milk had higher palmitic acid (20.1 ± 0.07 g/100 g), while Masri donkey milk had more oleic acid (21.4 ± 0.42 g/100 g). Lactation curve fitting yielded R² values of 93.8% for Masri donkeys and 95.7% for North African donkeys. These findings suggest that both populations are well-suited for milk production, particularly for human consumption or food applications. North African donkeys exhibited superior yields and nutrient profiles suitable for functional food applications.