Fatty acid profile and thermal stability of camel milk fat globules under varying storage conditions: A physicochemical assessment for dairy product formulation

Abstract:

Roughly 67% of camel milk fat exists as small globules below 3 µm in diameter, a feature that influences both digestibility and processing behavior. This research characterized the fatty acid composition and thermal stability of camel milk fat globules under four storage temperatures (4, 25, 37, and 45 °C) over 28 days. Milk was collected from 15 lactating dromedaries in Isiolo County, Kenya, between April and August 2024. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified palmitic acid (28.7%) and oleic acid (25.3%) as dominant fatty acids, with linoleic acid contributing 8.6%. Fat globule integrity, measured via laser diffraction particle sizing and peroxide value tracking, dropped from 98.2% to 46.1% at 45 °C by day 28, whereas refrigerated samples retained 92.7% integrity. Peroxide values exceeded the acceptability threshold of 10 meq O₂/kg fat by day 14 at 37 °C and by day 7 at 45 °C. These data show that camel milk fat globules are reasonably heat-tolerant at refrigeration temperatures but degrade rapidly above 25 °C, with practical implications for dairy product formulation in tropical supply chains.