Dairy products are gaining a big interest for their nutritional properties and for containing specific compounds able to exert a potentially positive effect on human health.
So, I have a point I would like to discuss with you: what is the best way to improve functional characteristics in dairy products?
Rearing systems, feeding or technological strategies are useful to improve their content in healthy nutritional components.
What is your opinion?
Dear Antonio check attached documents, you will find answers to your questions
Dear Callixte, thank you for your answer and for very interesting documents.
Actually I was asking for your thoughts on the best strategy to improve the content in beneficial components in dairy products.
I am working on this subject for many years, following different aspect: rearing systems, feeding or technology.
Recently I work principally on the latter. I find it is more simple and economic to add directly the suited beneficial components, as an ingredient, to the cheese milk or to the final product.
I am afraid it is a kind of feeding + technology aspect you can use. We are on the way to start similar project soon.
Dear Sandor,
good luck for your new project. I know you work on ewe and goat milk, me too.
So we can change the The experiences made during our projects.
Dear Antonio Pirisi,
The milk composition of small ruminant species is greatly dependent on breed and, within breed, on animals’ genotypes. It is also affected by the lactation stage, the parity, the health of animal, the lambing season and, above all, the feed management, namely in grazing animal.
The pointed factors affect the milk gross composition and fatty acid composition, but also milk technological properties, cheese yield and it sensory quality, as we observed in our studies on Portuguese autochthonous (Serra da Estrela, Saloia and Merino breeds), and exotic breeds (Lacaune and Assaf).
I believe that products obtained from autochthonous breeds reared under grazing systems, should be investigated in order to fully disclose its heath benefits. They will be always niche products, but heath concerned consumers, will be willing to pay the price. This is also important from the social/environmental point of view, and could contribute to the sustainability of the marginal rural areas.
Presently our group are engaged in several projects concerning genetic and nutritional factors affecting sheep and goat milk production and composition and milk technological properties:
https://www.researchgate.net/project/GenPrOv-GENe-markers-for-PRoduction-and-milk-quality-in-Assaf-OVine-breed
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Mediterranean-shrubs-natural-anthelmintics-in-the-diet-selected-by-grazing-goats
https://www.researchgate.net/project/ValBioTecCynara-Economic-valorization-of-Cardoon-Cynara-cardunculus-study-of-natural-variability-and-biotechnological-applications
Dear Maria,
thank you for your answer.
I agree with you about niche products, for which we have to preserve autochthonous breeds and natural poliphita pastures. The latter can enhance the beneficial compounds content in milk and cheese.
But this can be done for a small production only. At the industrial level I think a good choice is to add directly to milk and chees,e the beneficial compounds as ingredients.
I agree with you.
However, even in more intensive production systems, genetic and nutritional management could be important to increase the levels of the beneficial compounds, and thus contribute to reduce the need of its “industrial” introduction in milk and cheese. Cost/benefit of both practices, which are complementary, have to be evaluated as well as its’ public perception/acceptability. Production, research and industry should work together.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Medicine
- Nutrition and Dietetics