DIRANG, 16 Sep: The National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) here in West Kameng district has launched a “milk parlour,” named Nyukmadung Dairy, at the centre’s yak farm in Nyukmadung.
“Yak milk is creamy white, thick, sweetish, fragrant and rich in protein, fat, lactose and minerals and total solids than cow milk. It contains 15.63-19.63 percent total solids with 5.29-8.73 percent fat, 3.45-4.27 percent protein and 0.64-0.82 percent ash,” the NRCY informed in a release.
“In general, yak milk is considered as naturally concentrated milk enriched with a higher nutrient density and loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids, amino acids and antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals,” it added.
The release stated that the NRCY is “working to prepare diversified products with value addition of yak milk, viz, designer paneer, yak ghee, dahi, ripened and mozzarella cheese, churkham, etc.”
It further informed that the NRCY is planning to conduct capacity-building programmes for the yak farmers “through hands-on practices on value addition of yak milk and preparation of diversified yak milk products to get yak herders more incentives from yak herds and make yak farming more remunerative.”
The milk parlour was inaugurated on 15 September, in the presence of New Delhi-based Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board member Dr SP Kimothi, NRCY Director Dr Mihir Sarkar, Guwahati (Assam)-based National Research (NRC) on Pig Director VK Gupta, Nagaland-based NRC on Mithun Director Dr G Patil, and others.
