Al Ain: People will shortly be able to enjoy a new variety of ice cream created from something different — camel milk.
It will be the first such product made out of camel milk in the country in flavours hitherto unavailable in conventional ice cream products. "We have spent a lot of time creating flavours that we feel are different and most importantly not available in the market," Abdullah Saif Al Darmaki, the CEO of Al Ain Dairy, said.
Camel milk, which is slightly saltier than cow's milk, is an integral part of the traditional Arabian diet. The milk carries numerous health benefits that are often reported in scientific and health researches.
Al Darmaki said his firm has spent a lot of time in creating flavours that are different. The technology for making camel milk ice cream is exactly the same as for ice cream made from cow's milk. "But, we wanted to do something completely different which is why we have invested in new technology to produce a range of camel milk ice creams in niche flavours," he added.
Samples unveiled
The ice cream will be produced with pure camel milk and ingredients, with no additives of cow milk-based ingredients. The company has already started producing camel milk ice cream on pilot bases. Al Ain Dairy unveiled preview samples of this new product last November at the Date Palm Festival in Abu Dhabi.
Four flavours have been created for the ice cream and Al Darmaki hopes they will attract people. "We know that there is a demand for this product that we can truly satisfy in an innovative way," he said, noting that both Emiratis and expatriates will enjoy the ice cream in four flavours — dates, saffron, caramel and chocolate.
The CEO said an investment of Dh10 million will be made to redesign the existing facility for the commercial production of camel milk ice cream. "It will be launched by the mid of this year as the project is on approval stage," he said.
Demand for camel milk
Al Darmaki said demand for camel milk has been increasing across the region. "We have been producing camel milk under our brand Camelait for some time," he said. All Arabs, he said, prefer to have camel milk in plain form principally because it is part of their traditional diet.
Camel milk has a high mineral content. He said expatriates would also like to add camel milk to their diet. "So to attract the population, we would like to launch camel milk in five different flavours such as dates, saffron, cardamom, rose and chocolate," he added.
