Health Benefits of Bilona A2 Cow Ghee & its Comparison

Aashu’s Curiosity

Coming from an Indian household, Aashu is familiar with the importance of Desi ghee. As per a proverb, “An Indian kitchen is incomplete without having a jar of desi ghee”. 

Since his childhood, he has seen his family consume desi ghee by adding it as a flavour & taste booster in different cuisines. For instance, apply it on Rotis to make parathas & add it to rice for cooking pulao. Aashu’s mother has always preferred ghee over butter and edible oils.

Butter and Edible oils can be cheaper than desi ghee but when it comes to nutritional values then they do not stand anywhere near to it.

In his home, he learnt about the benefits of desi ghee but he wants to know more about the types of it, their benefits & uses. Let us see what he finds about it and how Bilona A2 cow ghee is better than all others:

What is A2 cow Ghee or Bilona ghee?

A2 cow ghee is one of the varieties of desi ghee that is extracted from the milk of A2 cows or cows that have A2 beta-casein (a form of milk protein). These A2 cows are native to India or pure Indian breed cows, so in real terms, it is genuinely a desi ghee.

Due to the commercial benefits of breeding, most of the cows in the Indian dairy industry are bred versions of foreign cows. Their milk carries A1 or both A1 & A2 beta-casein proteins providing them with the name A1 cows & ghee from their milk is termed as A1 cow ghee.

A2 Cow ghee is also popular with the name of Bilona ghee. Bilona is a traditional method of preparing ghee that ensures the nutrients of the product remain intact even after the process.

How A2 cow ghee is different from that of A1 cow ghee & that of buffalo ghee?

Now the big question is that, if a person without any background of the dairy industry, how can he distinguish between A2 cow ghee from that of A1 cow ghee or Buffalo ghee.

Due to the presence of Beta-carotene (a compound of Vitamin-A), A2 cow ghee mostly comes in yellowish colour. The absence of this compound makes A1 cow ghee more whitish in nature. This color difference is critical to differentiate between these 2 variants of cow ghee.

Other than this, Bilona A2 cow ghee has grainy texture rather than greasy as well as it raises the aroma & enhances the deliciousness of food without altering its flavors. 

Nutritional Value of Bilona A2 Cow Ghee

A2 cow ghee is superior in nutritional value to both A1 cow ghee & buffalo ghee. This is a proven fact because the health benefits are countless with some major ones are the following:

1. It carries amino acids in its protein structure that makes it easy to digest for those who are suffering from gastrointestinal diseases.
2. Desi ghee is a good source of healthy fats as each tablespoon of it contains approx. 15 grams of fats out of which 9 grams are saturated ones.
3. It is also rich with antioxidant nutrients such as B2 & B3 that are essential in developing the immune system.
4. Each tablespoon of A2 ghee can deliver nearly 5-8% of the daily intake of Vitamin A, Vitamin E & Vitamin K.

Nutritional Value Table

Nutritional content in 1 tablespoon of Bilona A2 Cow Ghee:

Health Benefits of A2 Cow Ghee

Unlike butter & artificial ghee, A2 cow ghee is the purest form of desi ghee which comes with a good number of health benefits some of which are mentioned below:-  

A good source of healthy fats

While a quarter of Indians are suffering from heart-related diseases. It is of much importance to increase the intake of healthy fats that can reduce the chances of strokes. Healthy fats play vital roles in strengthening heart tissues as well as in their development. 

Dairy source for Lactose Intolerants

Bilona ghee can be a good source of dairy nutrients for those who are lactose intolerant & can’t consume milk or other dairy products. The reason is that A2 cow ghee is free of those impurities that are naturally present in milk & other dairy products as it is made from makkhan or clarified fats. 

Boosts Immunity

Due to the presence of vitamins A, D, E & K, it is a food that can help you in strengthening your immune system. In this period of pandemics, Bilona A2 ghee is a necessary item to be added to your daily intake because of its immunity-enhancing properties.

Fastens your weight loss

Bilona ghee is recommended to reduce obesity & an alternative to butter for those with high cholesterol. It carries butyric acid that helps in increasing the metabolism that fastens the burning of extra body fats.

Supportive in proper digestion

If you are suffering from constipation & detoxification then ghee is good for the prevention. Butyric acid works as nourishment for intestines that helps in the easy movement of food & minimises the occurrences of constipation. Along with this, desi ghee is also a good antioxidant and helps in the removal of toxins from the body.

How is A2 cow ghee extracted from A2 cow milk?

Unlike commercially available regular ghee where high-end technology is used for mass production, A2 bilona cow ghee is still prepared in traditional ways. This allows the preservation of taste, flavour & aroma along with its texture. Under this process following steps are used:

1. Fresh & unprocessed A2 cow milk is boiled & turned into curd by storing it in a clay pot.
2. Then the curd is hand-churned with the use of a wooden churner, this process is called “Bilona”.
3. Then the by-product “Makkhan” is separated from the residue.
4. Now makkhan is boiled on the low flame of a cow dung cake fire in an iron vessel.
5. This leaves a fluid in the upper layer which is carefully collected & that is called A2 cow ghee.

Different ways to process ghee from milk?

Above we have discussed only one way to prepare ghee from milk but practically, there are in total 3 different processes to extract ghee from milk that is widely used. The above one is called the Desi Method while the remaining 2 processes are mentioned below along with steps to be followed in them: – 

Direct Cream Method:-

• Milk is warmed at 40-50 degrees to turn it into the cream.
• The cream is then separated into a different vessel. It must carry 60-70% of the fat of milk.
• Separated cream is then boiled at 114+ degrees in a ghee boiler until the cream turns golden yellowish or light brownish.
• Now curd settles down with the upper layer of clarified fat being visible. 
• Now through the process of filtration, the upper layer of clarified fat is separated from the below layer of curd. Now the collected final product is ghee.

Creamery Method: –

• Again, start with heating milk at 40-50 degrees & then the cream should be separated into another vessel.
• Cream then be pasteurized at 80 degrees for just 15 seconds then cooled down at 7-8 degrees.
• Now the product is converted into butter through the churning process mechanically or manually.
• Then butter should be melted at 80 degrees in a butter melter & the residue collected in a ghee boiler.  
• Boiling at 114+ degrees will leave clarified fat in an upper layer.
• The upper layer should be collected in a different vessel which is our required ghee.

These 2 methods are mostly employed by the dairy industry as they are good for mass production but can also be used for A2 cow ghee preparations.

Medicinal Uses of Bilona A2 ghee

Other than taste & flavour booster in your meals, A2 cow ghee can also be used in many different forms that are merely known by general people but can have good & faster results. Some of them are: – 

Helps in skin moisturisation & hair growth

As a natural moisturiser, Desi ghee can do wonders to tackle your dry skin problem. You can even use it as lip care in winter. Ghee can also be a solution for brittle hairs & skin rashes. Ghee as a skin moisturiser has been used for years by our ancestors.

Cure for wounds & burns

Desi ghee can also be applied to skin burns & wounds as a natural remedy. You can also consume it to treat skin inflammations. Thanks to its healing properties ghee can cure your wound at a faster rate.

Good for Glowing Skin

Thanks to the presence of fatty acids, ghee can hydrate your skin cells & help you regain clear & bright skin. It reduces the harmful effects of skin pigmentation specifically tanning. You can use ghee to create your homemade face masks.

Medicinal benefits in cold & cough

One of the ayurvedic treatments called Nyasa treatment recommends using warm Bilona A2 ghee as a nose drop to unclog your nose naturally as well as to tackle any form of nasal infection.

Why Bilona A2 cow ghee is expensive compared to other Desi Ghee

Out of 40 breeds of cow, only 3-4 cow breeds are good for A2 cow milk & these cows are lower in population than other breeds. Along with that, these cows need natural grazing to produce A2 milk with high nutritional value. If added, all this increases the cost of production per litre of A2 milk which is much higher than that of normal milk available in the market. 

Other than this, A2 cow milk has a very low content of fat due to which production of 1 kg A2 ghee requires nearly 25-30 litres of milk. If you calculate all this, you will find that A2 cow ghee costs nearly a thousand to produce which has higher nutritional value.

This makes pure & nutrient-rich Bilona A2 ghee more expensive than the commercially cheap but low-nutrient regular ghee that is widely available in the market.

Conclusion

In his recent grocery list, Aashu has added Bilona A2 Cow ghee. The most nutritious of all other desi ghee, it can help in boosting immunity, aiding in weight loss and is great for gut health.

Other than health benefits, Bilona A2 ghee has many other medicinal uses such as moisturizer for skin, promoting hair growth and helpful in curing colds and coughs.

A2 cow ghee is the most expensive desi ghee compared to its counterparts. It can only be prepared by using A2 cow milk and through traditional process only. This preserves the nutritional value of the product obtained.