Pig milk

{{Short description|White liquid produced by the mammary glands of female pigs}} thumb|upright=1.3|Piglets consuming pig milk '''Pig milk''' is typically consumed by piglets. It is similar in composition to cow's milk, though higher in fat and more watery. Pig milk is seldom obtained for human uses and is not considered to be a viable agricultural product. Several attempts have been made to produce pig milk cheese, some of which have been successful.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alberding |first=Felicia |date=24 August 2015 |title=Pig's Milk Cheese Is Tasty, But It Won't Make You Rich |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/pigs-milk-cheese-is-tasty-but-it-wont-make-you-rich/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713071841/https://www.vice.com/en/article/8qkkmb/pigs-milk-cheese-is-tasty-but-it-wont-make-you-rich |archive-date=13 July 2023 |access-date=13 July 2023 |website=Vice}}</ref>

==Description== Pig milk contains 8.5% fat compared to 3.5% in cow's milk.<ref name="onpasture.com">{{cite web|url=http://onpasture.com/2015/01/05/why-dont-we-drink-pig-milk/|title=Why Don't We Drink Pig Milk?|date=6 January 2015|access-date=8 July 2016|archive-date=9 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109081948/http://onpasture.com/2015/01/05/why-dont-we-drink-pig-milk/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has similar colostrum composition in terms of protein, fat, and lactose, when compared to cow's milk.<ref>{{cite book |title=Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition: Production, Composition and Health |editor1-last=Park |editor1-first= Young W. |editor2-last=Haenlein |editor2-first=George F.W. |year=2013 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |isbn=978-1-118-53422-9 }}</ref> Pigs with high-protein diets produce more milk compared to those on low-protein diets.<ref>Hughes and Hart 1934, p. 312.</ref> It has also been described as more gamey than goat's milk and seems more watery than cow's milk.

==Difficulty in milking pigs== Pig milk is not considered suitable for commercial production for a number of reasons. Pigs are considered difficult to milk. The sow herself is reluctant to be milked, may be uncooperative or become spooked by human presence, and lactating pigs may be quite aggressive.<ref name="Hirsch"/><ref name="Phelan"/><ref name="Sietsema"/> Sows have 8 to 16 small nipples, each giving little milk for a short duration. A pig's milking time can be around fifteen seconds compared to ten minutes for a cow. A sow may produce only 13 pounds of milk per day compared to a cow's production of 65 pounds. (Production has been estimated using a system of weighing piglets prior to and after suckling.)<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2krAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA25 | title=Predicting Feed Intake of Food-Producing Animals | publisher=National Academies | author=Subcommittee on Feed Intake (contributor) | date=January 15, 1987 | page=25| isbn=9780309036955 }}</ref> In addition, no existing milking machine is designed to attach to around a dozen teats and extract milk for 15 seconds. Finally, pigs, unlike cows, cannot become pregnant while lactating, which makes a pig-milk operation even less viable.<ref name="onpasture.com"/>

==Human uses== Compared to more conventional animals such as dairy cattle or goats, a main issue is their omnivorous diet.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thekitchn.com/why-dont-pigs-make-cheese-73719 |title=Why Don't Pigs Make Cheese? |date=January 12, 2009 |publisher=The Kitchn |access-date=20 October 2014 |last1=Gillingham |first1=Sara Kate}}</ref> The flavor of pig milk has been described as "gamey", more so than goat's milk.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/11/why_not_pig_mil.php|title=Why Not Pig Milk?|first=Robert|last=Sietsema|date=21 November 2011|access-date=24 January 2017|archive-date=23 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223052203/http://www.villagevoice.com/restaurants/why-not-pig-milk-6560687|url-status=dead}}</ref> The milk is also considered more watery than cow's milk.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Sietsema"/>

===Cheese=== Cheese produced from pig milk has been described as having a concentrated and intensified flavor of pig milk.<ref name="Hirsch"/> Chef Edward Lee prepared a ricotta cheese from pig milk, which he described as "delicious".<ref name="Phelan"/>

A Dutch farmer produced one of the first experimental pig milk cheeses. As many as ten people worked to milk the sows for dozens of hours. Several of the attempts to produce cheese failed. They finally managed to make a few kilograms. It was reported that it tasted "chalky and a little bit salty"<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.foodworldnews.com/articles/37455/20150914/dutch-farm-worlds-first-sell-cheese-pigs-milk.htm | title=Dutch Farm: World's First to Ever Sell Cheese from Pig's Milk| date=2015-09-14}}</ref> and compared to other cheeses "saltier and creamier, yet grainier".<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://consumerist.com/2015/08/25/we-are-unsure-how-to-feel-knowing-that-pigs-milk-cheese-exists/| title=We Are Unsure How to Feel Knowing That Pig's Milk Cheese Exists| date=2015-08-25| access-date=2016-07-08| archive-date=2015-08-26| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826071635/https://consumerist.com/2015/08/25/we-are-unsure-how-to-feel-knowing-that-pigs-milk-cheese-exists/| url-status=dead}}</ref> The cheese was sold to an anonymous buyer at a children's charity for $2,300 per kilogram. The price fetched was higher than the most expensive variety known as pule cheese, which is made from the milk of the Serbian Balkan donkey.

===Health and beauty=== Susanna Montgomerie, Countess of Eglinton used to wash her face with pig milk. She recommended this treatment to others, as she believed it would help retain one's figure and complexion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Group of Scottish Women |url=https://electricscotland.com/history/women/scottish_women_chapter10.htm |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=electricscotland.com}}</ref>

==References== <references>

<ref name="Hirsch">{{cite web |url=http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/milk-pig/ |title=To Milk a Pig: One Chef's Obsession |work=Modern Farmer |date=March 10, 2014 |access-date=20 October 2014 |last1=Hirsch |first1=Jesse}}</ref> <ref name="Phelan">{{cite journal |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/07/why_don_t_we_drink_other_animals_milk_the_dairy_of_camels_buffalo_pigs_sheep_and_goats_.single.html |title=Others' Milk |journal=Slate |date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=20 October 2014 |last1=Phelan |first1=Benjamin}}</ref> <ref name="Sietsema">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/11/why_not_pig_mil.php |title=Why Not Pig Milk? |work=Village Voice |date=November 21, 2011 |access-date=20 October 2014 |last1=Sietsema |first1=Robert |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021094010/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/11/why_not_pig_mil.php |archive-date=21 October 2014 }}</ref>

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==Bibliography== {{refbegin}} * {{cite web | url=http://www.docstoc.com/docs/44534912/PRODUCTION-AND-COMPOSITION-OF-SOW-S-MILK | title=Production and Composition of Sow's Milk | publisher=University of California Davis, College of Agriculture, Division of Animal Husbandry | date=August 11, 1934 | access-date=20 October 2014 |author1=Hughes, E.H. |author2=Hart, Hugh G. }} {{refend}}

==Further reading== * {{cite journal | title=Structural Determination and Daily Variations of Porcine Milk Oligosaccharides | journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | date=April 28, 2011 | author=Tao, Nannan|display-authors=etal| doi = 10.1021/jf100398u | pmid=20369835 | pmc=2882034 | volume=58 | issue=8 | pages=4653–9}} * {{cite journal | url= | title=Exploration of microRNAs in porcine milk exosomes | journal=BMC Genomics | date=February 5, 2014 | author=Chen, Ting|display-authors=etal|doi =10.1186/1471-2164-15-100 | pmid=24499489 | pmc=4008308 | volume=15 | issue=1 | pages=100 | doi-access=free }} * {{cite journal| title=Shotgun proteomic analysis of porcine colostrum and mature milk | journal=Animal Science Journal | date=April 2014 | author=Ogawa, Shohei|display-authors=etal| pages=440–448| doi =10.1111/asj.12165 | pmid=24450292 | volume=85|issue = 4}}

==External links== {{portal|Animals|Agriculture}} * [http://boingboing.net/2012/07/25/pigs-milk-and-other-difficu.html Pig's milk, and other difficult dairies]. ''Boing Boing''.

Category:Milk by animal Category:Pigs