(REUTERS) - From camel racing, to camel beauty pageants, the humped beast is a staple to the Gulf's Arab heritage

And now, a company in the UAE is launching a new product, baby formula based on camel milk.

Camelicious' business development manager Mutasher al-Badry says: "Generally, camel milk is very healthy and has a lot of great benefits which are scientifically-proven."

Studies have suggested that camel milk is almost as nutritious as human milk and offers 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk.

The firm, Camelicious, says the newly developed baby formula is the first of its kind worldwide.

It produces more than 40 camel milk based products - including energy drinks, powder milk, and ice cream.

Camel milk has been a staple for desert Arab nomads for generations.

But its boom in modern day food and beverage industries could see it as the UAE's new cash cow.