HEALTH

A 'meaty' milk

Milk from chicken meat aims at giving babies, allergic to other kinds of milk, the same nutrition

ARUSA PISUTHIPPAN

There was a time when people were only familiar with cow's milk, goat's milk, soya bean milk or buffalo's milk. So it makes quite a lot of sense when a new innovation - chicken-based milk - spurs a number of questions on this yellowish liquid substance.

Milk made from chicken’s breast strips is a new affordable alternative for parents whose babies are allergic to protein in cow’s milk. PHOTO: SAMILA WENIN

Among those frequently asked is, do chicken have nipples?

"Chicken milk is, in fact, milk made from chicken meat," said Dr Pipop Jirapinyo, paediatrician specialising in nutrition. "It contains vitamins, minerals, as well as other nutrients necessary for the growth and development of infants. It is also a healthy choice instead of baby formula."

Dr Pipop is Thailand's first scientist who came up with the innovative idea of producing milk from chicken meat. After spending more than 10 years researching and developing the formula, his aim, he said, is to provide an affordable alternative to parents whose children are allergic to the protein in cow's milk.

"Surprisingly three per cent of infants born worldwide are reported to be allergic to cow's milk," said the specialist. "Despite the reported figure, I still believe that the actual number is far higher."

In Thailand, according to Dr Pipop's study, of the 800,000 babies born each year, approximately three per cent are allergic to milk. In other words, in one year there are around 24,000 newborns reported of being allergic to the white calcium-rich liquid.

Breast milk, the doctor added, is still the best source of nutrition for infants, but the problem is that most mothers stop lactating some three months after delivery and then start giving their babies cow's milk. That is when the allergic reactions begin.

Even though there are, apart from cow's milk, several other kinds of milk for parents to choose from, such as goat's milk, soya bean milk and hypoallergenic formulas based on partially or extensively hydrolysed protein, there are still more than 2,000 infants annually who are allergic to these kinds of milk.

An allergy to cow's milk, the specialist explained, is a condition commonly found in newborns. The allergy occurs when the body's immune system misunderstands that milk protein is dangerous and consequently tries to get rid of it.

Dr Pipop Jirapinyo, paediatrician and head researcher of the chicken-based formula development team.

Normally, allergic reactions start within a few weeks after an infant's first milk consumption, the doctor added.

In some cases, the symptoms can be immediate.

"An infant's allergic reaction to cow's milk is commonly visible on the skin. The baby will have eczema or rashes quite similar to drug hypersensitivity. The reactions can also appear in form of gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal discomfort, excessive colic and so on," the paediatrician said.

This type of allergic reaction is difficult to diagnose because the same symptoms may occur with other health conditions in infants.

In some cases, an infant may have respiratory reactions such as chronic runny nose and coughing, especially at night.

The actual cause of a milk allergy is still unknown. But it is believed, Dr Pipop noted, that the allergy is partly hereditary.

In case both parents suffer from allergies, the chance that their child will be allergic to cow's milk is as high as 70 per cent. Even if one parent suffers from allergies, an infant will have allergic reactions to cow's milk.

"These days more and more adults suffer allergies. This means that the number of babies allergic to cow's milk is increasing, too," the specialist observed.

Parents however do not need to get alarmed because the good news is that an allergy to cow's milk gradually wanes over time. Seventy per cent of infants suffering from a cow's milk allergy get better when they are a year old, Dr Pipop said. Almost 100 per cent outgrow the allergy when they turn two or three years old.

Generally when a child is diagnosed as having a cow's milk allergy, parents usually opt for milk from other sources such as goat's milk, sheep's milk or soya bean milk. But Dr Pipop said that most children who are allergic to cow's milk also have the same reaction to goat's milk and sheep's milk, while some of them are also allergic to the protein in soya bean milk.

In the past, there used to be only one choice for babies who are allergic to natural milk - amino acid-based formula. Although such a formula is easily digested and can alleviate cow's milk allergy, it has a downside.

"Amino acid-based formula available in the market is very highly priced. When compared to normal powdered formula, which costs only 200 baht per tin, a tin of amino acid-based formula costs 1,600 baht. That is eight times the price of normal formula. In a month, an infant needs an average of seven tins, which means parents have to spend over 10,000 baht for formula alone. And unfortunately there are not many people that can afford it."

That was the idea behind Dr Pipop's research. His objective was to help parents who are not financially well-off to buy such costly baby food.

Admittedly, chicken-based milk does not sound like a favourite, but Dr Pipop said that his new formula does not taste awful. The yellowish thick liquid looks quite similar to vanilla-flavoured milk. The chicken-based milk is a protein-rich option providing high energy and nutritional levels as milk from other sources.

So, why chicken?

"Infants are rarely allergic to chicken meat. It possesses a mysteriously unique quality. We commonly find that people are allergic to shrimp, eggs, nuts or milk, but very few people are allergic to chicken," explained the paediatrician.

Chicken's breast strips are best suited for manufacturing the milk as it contains 80 to 90 per cent of protein with very little fat. "Using chicken's breast strips to produce milk can make it easier to stabilise its high quality as we do not need to worry about fat and carbohydrates," he added.

To make milk from chicken meat, Dr Pipop said that the first step is to have the breast strips boiled and ground until smooth. Then essential nutrients for babies' growth is added to the mixture, which is frozen to -72C. After a decade of trial and error, the doctor finally came up with an effective technique to mix all components homogeneously, containing complete and standardised levels of vitamins and minerals. The milk is so smooth that it can easily be sucked through a rubber nipple.

Last year, his chicken-based formula received the National Innovation Award in the social care category from Thailand's National Innovation Agency. The milk has proven to provide a cheaper, yet healthy alternative for parents who cannot pay for the expensive amino acid-based formula, which has to be imported.

Despite its success, the chicken-based milk is not yet available in supermarkets. As Dr Pipop's priority is to lend a hand to poor parents first, the milk is available only at Siriraj Hospital in a concentrated liquid formula, which needs to be mixed with water before feeding. The price depends on the parents' financial status. On an average, it costs approximately 400 baht per tin.

"Our goal is not to make a great profit. We want to help children, so our selling price is not important. What we want is to see children, as well as parents alike happy."

To Dr Pipop, the future of milk made from chicken meat is quite promising. He and his team are currently adjusting the formula so it can be used as a cure for seizures in children and adults.

"The next step is to make a powdered version of the milk, as well as to produce it on a larger, industrial scale so that it will be cheaper and more accessible to people."

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