Enhancing market value of milk by adding cultures.

Abstract

Fluid milk and several dairy products are an excellent medium to generate an array of products that fit into the current consumer demand for health-driven foods. Several technologies associated with culture addition, fermentation, or both are available for creating an assortment of flavors and textures in milk products. It appears that accentuating the positive attributes of inherent milk constituents, incorporating health-promoting cultures, and offering a variety of flavors and textures to the consumer could enhance milk consumption. Recent advances in probiotic research show much promise in new product development of functional foods based on milk. Several scientifically sound clinical studies have verified some of the anecdotal reports of the past. Among the reported beneficial effects of consuming certain strains of cultures, or their metabolites, or both are enhanced immune response, balancing of colonic microbiota, vaccine adjuvant effect, reduction of fecal enzymes implicated in cancer initiation, treatment of diarrhea associated with travel, antibiotic therapy, control of rotavirus and Clostridium difficile, control of ulcers related to Helicobacter pylori, reduction of serum cholesterol, antagonism against food-borne pathogens and tooth decay organisms, and amelioration of lactose malabsorption symptoms. The mode of action in most cases seems to involve modulation of ecosystem of the gastrointestinal tract of the host. Several strains belonging to genera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium, which have desirable clinical benefits, are now available. They are being incorporated in yogurts, dairy snacks, breakfast foods, drinks, refrigerated desserts, cheeses, spreads, frozen desserts, and unfermented sweet cultured milk.