A.S. Georgieva1 and D. Ivanova2,3 *
1Department of Animal Husbandry—Ruminants and Animal Product Technologies, Section “Milk and Dairy Products”, Agricultural Faculty, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
2Department of Pharmacology, Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
3Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

(Manuscript received 10 December 2025; accepted for publication 19 February 2026)

*e-mail: donika.ivanova@trakia-uni.bg, a.georgieva.stz@gmail.com
Abstract. Amino acids are not only building blocks of the proteins, but they are essential for providing healthy growth and normal development of infants in their neonatal period. Breast milk contains an ideal proportion of vital macro- and micro-molecules, necessary for infants’ daily nutritional needs. Unfortunately, data from meta-analyses have indicated that only 37% of children younger than 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed. Because of its organoleptic characteristics, chemical and nutritional compositions, donkey milk is considered a functional food. This review is focused on describing the similarity of amino acid content (free amino acids and total amino acids) in both human and donkey milk. The possible application of donkey milk as an alternative new line milk-based formula for feeding infants diagnosed with IgE mediated cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) or Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is also observed in the review.