Jaisalmer, November 10:

Camel milk ice cream has just been launched in Rajasthan and it could hit your stores soon.

After camel milk face cream with its anti-wrinkle properties, it is now the turn of ice cream that is supposed to have anti-bacterial properties.

The ice cream comes in two flavours - kesar and strawberry vanilla. It has been developed by the Rajasthan-based Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan (LPPS), an NGO that supports landless livestock owners. Participants at a November 6-8 workshop of camel breeders and scientists held near here were given to taste the just-launched ice cream.

“The ice cream is a delicious desert treat,” said Tommaso Sbriccoli, an Italian researcher at the meet. Already, numerous hotels in Jaisalmer have evinced interest in stocking up the camel milk ice cream to attract health conscious customers.

The LPPS has launched a two-year project to help traditional camel breeders realise the economic potential of a range of products derived from camels, including face cream and ice cream. The camel population in Rajasthan is around 400,000, a 50 per cent dip over the last decade, according to the NGO. It says revival of camel husbandry could be an important tool for supporting livelihoods of the owners in the drought hit and impoverished far western part of Rajasthan.

Camel milk is different from cow and buffalo milk. It is considered very healthy as it contains enzymes with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties that help to fight diseases. The milk also contains insulin, which is helpful in controlling blood sugar levels among the diabetic.

A Rajasthan camel gives around four to six litres of milk a day, according to the NGO, which is examining the possibility of marketing the milk in tetra packs in the near future. Camel milk is marketed as a health food and beauty product in the Gulf and Africa.