Group · Dairy
Mare’s milk
Mare’s milk is traditionally drunk in Central Asia, often fermented into kumis. Of all farmed milks, its composition is the closest to human breast milk: plenty of lactose, and very little fat and casein.
In terms of nutrition facts, whole: just 50 kcal per 100 g, with 6.22 g of carbohydrate, 2.36 g of protein and 1.73 g of fat. It provides 87.4 mg of calcium, 54 mg of phosphorus and 0.3 µg of vitamin B12 per 100 g.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 50 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 211 kJ |
| Protein | 2,4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 6,3 g |
| Fat | 1,8 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Vitamin C15 mg19 %
- Vitamin B120,3 µg12 %
- Calcium87,4 mg11 %
- Phosphorus54 mg8 %
- Vitamin B50,3 mg5 %
- Potassium63,3 mg3 %
- Copper0,03 mg3 %
- Vitamin B10,03 mg3 %
See the other 8 nutrients
- Vitamin B20,03 mg2 %
- Vitamin B60,03 mg2 %
- Magnesium7,95 mg2 %
- Vitamin A14,7 µg2 %
- Zinc0,15 mg2 %
- Vitamin B30,14 mg1 %
- Iron0,07 mg0 %
- Vitamin E0,03 mg0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
It is the leanest milk in the database. 1.73 g of fat per 100 g, against 6.97 g for a sheep’s milk. In return, it is also the lowest in protein and calcium.
Plenty of lactose: 6.22 g per 100 g. More than cow’s milk. It is therefore not suitable at all for people who are lactose intolerant, despite its occasional reputation as an « easy to digest » milk.
Its cosmetic and therapeutic virtues are not proven. The claims made about it (psoriasis, immunity, eczema) are not backed by clinical studies of sufficient quality. It is a milk, not a treatment.
It is not a substitute for infant formula. Its similarity to breast milk is real but partial: no animal milk is suitable for a newborn, and using it as such is dangerous.
It is rare and expensive. A mare produces little, and only when her foal is present. It is found mostly freeze-dried or frozen, at prices out of proportion to its nutritional value.