In Indian kitchens, Desi Ghee is not just a food item, but it is a symbol of taste, health and our tradition. Whether you want to add tempering to dal, grease rotis or make hot gond laddus in winters, everything seems incomplete without ghee. But when it comes to buying ghee from the market or extracting ghee from cream at home, an eternal debate rages – is cow’s or buffalo’s ghee better?
Often people are confused whether yellow ghee is more beneficial or white granular ghee. To remove this confusion, food and dairy experts have explained the mathematics of milk and ghee, knowing which you will be able to make the right choice for your family.
Experts say that there is a huge difference in the composition and nutrients of cow and buffalo milk, which has a direct impact on the ghee made from them.
Cow Milk: It is slightly lighter and thinner in nature. The amount of fat in it is less i.e. only about 3% to 4%. This is the reason why it is easily digested and is considered best for newborn children and the elderly. Its light yellow color is due to the element called ‘Beta-Carotene’ present in it, which is very beneficial for the eyes and brain.
Buffalo Milk: It is thick, creamy and heavy. The amount of fat in it is very high i.e. around 7% to 8%. It also contains more solids-not-fat (SNF), due to which the layer of cream formed from it is very thick. This is the reason why sweets and mawa made from buffalo milk become very tasty and creamy.
Now let’s come to the mathematics, which every housewife and dairy businessman talks about. After all, how much ghee can be extracted from how many liters of milk?
Since the fat content of buffalo milk is almost double that of cow, the rental and production mathematics of both are completely different:
Mathematics of buffalo milk: If you take 10 liters of pure condensed buffalo milk, the amount of cream in it will be very high. When you make ghee by churning this cream, you will easily get approx. 400 to 500 grams Can extract pure desi ghee. That means it is clear that more ghee is available in less milk.
Cow Milk Mathematics: Due to less fat in cow’s milk, the same quantity of milk (10 liters) can yield only 300 to 350 grams Only ghee is available. This is the reason why pure cow’s ghee (especially A2 desi cow’s ghee) is sold more expensive than buffalo’s ghee in the market, because more milk is consumed to prepare the same amount of ghee.
| properties and scale | cow ghee | buffalo ghee |
| Color | Light yellow (due to beta-carotene) | pure white or creamy white |
| Fat and Calories | Low fat, light and digestible | Too much fat and high calories |
| digestion process | Digests very easily, increases metabolism | Is heavy to digest, can increase phlegm |
| intended use | For weight control and immunity | For weight gain and physical strength |
| Shelf Life | Medium (better to use early) | does not spoil for a long time |
According to Ayurveda and modern nutrition experts, both the ghees are full of medicinal properties in their respective places. Your physical needs and lifestyle decide which ghee you should eat:
Expert’s special opinion:
If you want to lose weight, work sitting in the office every day (sedentary lifestyle), or have digestive problems (gas, bloating, acidity), then cow’s ghee is no less than nectar for you. It contains short-chain fatty acids which help in reducing bad cholesterol in the body and in weight loss.
On the contrary, if you are an athlete, do heavy workouts in the gym, or do any work that involves a lot of physical exertion, then buffalo ghee will prove to be an energy powerhouse for you. It strengthens bones, brings glow to the skin and is considered best for increasing the weight of thin children.
