News & Notes

BSE Resources Available Online
Dairy producers play a critical role in preventing BSE spread in our country, primarily by ensuring that high-risk feed components are not used in their rations. The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP) has developed an online resource center for dairy producers—available at www.cdqa.org—with common questions and answers and a video on preventing BSE in the herd.

Lycopene microcapsules for milk’s vitamin protection
Lycopene, microencapsulated in gum arabic-sucrose capsules, slowed the degradation of vitamins A and D3 in skimmed milk by 45 percent, says new research. The research could have implications for both dairy and fortified dairy, with the potential to prolong shelf-life and quality of the products.
Milk contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including significant amounts of calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin and vitamin B12. However, the riboflavin content is susceptible to oxidation by light. The oxidation products of this process can then destroy other vitamins in the milk, leading to a significant loss of nutritional quality.

Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, lead author Mariana Montenegro from Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero in Argentina and her co-workers report that by encapsulating small amounts of lycopene in gum arabic and sucrose, the resulting microcapsules can protect the riboflavin against photo-oxidation.

Microcapsules are tiny particles that contain an active agent or core material surrounded by a shell or coating, and are now increasingly being used in food ingredients preparation.

The researchers focused on the riboflavin (Rf)-mediated degradation of vitamins A and D3, with the vitamin A and D3 content of the commercial skimmed milk powder being 0.6 and 4.3 milligrams per litre, respectively.

The microcapsules were produced using the spray-dried technique, the most commonly used technology in the food industry because of the low costs and availability of equipment.
Using fluorescent white lights, the researchers tested the photo-degradation of riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin D3 in standard skimmed milk, and the skimmed milk containing the lycopene microcapsules.
“The addition of lycopene microencapsulated by spray-drying with a gum arabic-sucrose (8:2) mixture (MIC) produced a reduction of 45 percent in the photosensitized degradation rate of both vitamins,” wrote the researchers.

“These results show the functional ability of gum-arabic based microcapsules to act as antioxidant species in food systems and that the microencapsulation spray-drying process does not affect the excellent [singlet molecular oxygen] quencher lycopene ability,” they said.

Low lycopene contents were used so that the color of the milk was not significantly modified.
“In summary, the photosensitized riboflavin-mediated degradation of vitamins A, D3, and Rf itself in skimmed milk can be strongly reduced by the addition of small amounts of lycopene-gum arabic-sucrose microcapsules, without modification of the bulk properties of skimmed milk,” they concluded.
This article, by Stephen Daniells, appeared in the January 8 edition of DairyReporter.com.

Fermentation may produce allergen-free whey and dairy
Fermentation of dairy with a mix of lactic acid bacteria and a Streptococcus strain could selectively reduce the protein responsible for cows milk allergy, researchers have reported.

Researchers at Germany’s University of Hohenheim have reported in the journal Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies that fermentation of skim milk and sweet whey with a one-to-one mixture of the bacteria could reduce the quantity of beta-lactoglobulin, the main allergen in cows milk, by as much as 90 percent.

The research may also have implications for the wider food industry since whey and whey-derived ingredients are extensively used in a range of food products.

Whey proteins from cow’s milk are used as emulsifiers in a broad range of food products including ice creams, beverages, salad dressing and sports supplements, and are classified as either concentrates (protein content between 25 and 80 percent) or isolates (more than 90 percent protein).

Whey also contains a range of other proteins, including alpha-lactalbumin, glycomacropeptide, serum albumin, immunoglobulins, lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase.

“In more than 80 percent of all cases, the whey protein beta-lactoglobulin (beta-lg) is the main elicitor of milk allergies for children and infants. Beta-lg is the major whey protein in milk and milk products and it is of particular interest because it is the sole whey protein fraction present in cow’s milk which is not in human milk,” explained lead author Nicole Kleber.

The researchers tested a wide range of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) independently or in combination with Streptococcus thermophilus subspecies salivarius on the beta-lg content of both sweet whey and skim milk.

The dairy was incubated with 1 percent bacteria at 40 degrees Celsius for 24 hours.
The researchers report that the antigenicity of beta-lactoglobulin was significantly decreased with the majority of bacteria examined. Antigenicity refers to the capacity to induce an immune response.
Kleber and her colleagues report that beta-lg antigenicity in the sweet whey was reduced by over 70 percent, while skim milk had reductions of more than 90 percent.

“These results are promising for new fermented milk products with reduced antigenic properties. In addition, synergism regarding the reduction of antigenicity was observed when using 1:1 mixtures of lactic acid bacteria with S. thermophilus subsp. salivarius strains,” said the researchers.

This article appeared in the January 9 issue of Foodnavigator.com.

Yogurt drinks lead food market growth
Drinkable yogurt is the world’s fastest growing food and beverage product, ACNielsen reports, suggesting manufacturers should target this sector more aggressively.

ACNielsen’s report, “What’s hot around the globe—insights on growth in food and beverage products,” says drinkable yogurt stands out as the fastest growing seller not just in dairy but in the food and beverage industry as a whole.

Plugged in part by marketing, the popularity of these beverages appears to cover a wide and diverse territory across the world, due perhaps to a combination of their functionality and portability.
“Drinkable yogurt is not only healthy and good tasting, but in many cases, the packaging offers the convenience and portability that consumers crave,” said Jane Perrin, senior vice president and managing director for ACNielsen Global Services.

Drinkable yogurts were number one because they had shown year-over-year growth in 40 of the 45 markets measured. The category was growing at more than 10 percent in 29 of these markets.
China topped the list with a whopping 49 percent year-over-year growth rate. In other markets, including Greece, Romania, Finland and Italy, drinkable yogurts grew by more than 40 percent. In the United States, this category grew by 5 percent.

Broad opportunities for functional ingredients, such as omega-3, phytosterols and probiotics, in drinkable yogurt have made the products an attractive area for innovation. Marketing around health, and particularly heart health, has spurred the category on in several markets, including the U.K., Spain and Israel, ACNielsen said. Big brands like Danone’s Actimel have scored big successes in the U.K., thanks to their marriage of health and convenience.

ACNielsen’s report was based on purchase information from retailers in grocery, drug and mass merchandise outlets and generally excludes kiosks or vending machines. In a few markets, sales from convenience stores may be included.

This article, by Clarisse Douaud, appeared in the January 26 edition of DairyReporter.com