Development of Functional Candy with Banana, Ginger and Skim Milk Powder as a Source of Phenolics and Antioxidants

The present pandemic situation has increased the demand for plant-based functional foods that enhancing the immunity of all aged groups against COVID-19. This factor has led to innovation in confectionery market because healthy and good quality confectionery products are lacking. In this study, an attempt has been made to develop functional candy from various combinations of banana, ginger, skim milk powder, and honey at 2-10% and evaluated its sensory, nutraceutical, functional properties and microbial stability for 60 days. Among various combinations of banana and ginger pulp, candy prepared from 96:6 w/w (banana: ginger) ratio was found better than other combinations in respect to organoleptic and nutritional quality. Ginger and skim milk powder addition increased the contents of protein (4.54%), ash (2.82%), phenolic (8.59 mgGAE/g), flavonoid (2.43 mQ/g), and antioxidant activity (36.15% DPPH activity) of functional candy. Microbial studies of functional candy revealed it could be stored up to 60 days without microbial contamination and acceptable by the consumer. The cost of functional candy was Rs.1.53 per candy, which was less than market candy. This study showed that candy manufactured from banana, ginger, skim milk powder, and honey was nutritionally and economical improved with acceptable sensory properties. Developed functional candy increases the market's revenue and enables confectionary market to develop a new candy type.

Identification and Effects of Skim Milk-Derived Bioactive Antihypertensive Peptides

Bioactive peptides are generated during milk fermentation or enzymatic hydrolysis. Lactobacillus (L) helveticus is commonly used to produce some types of fermented milk products. Fermented milk derived bioactive peptides are known to be beneficial in human health. Anti-hypertensive peptides play a dual role in the regulation of hypertension through the production of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II and its inactivation of the vasodilator bradykinin. MALDI MS/MS, nano-LC/MS/MS and RP-HPLC were used to isolate peptides showing angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (ACE-I) from 12% fermented skim milk using a combination of L. helveticus and Flavourzyme®. The fermentation procedure facilitated the identification of 133 anti-hypertensive peptides and 75% short chain amino acids, and the three with the highest ACE-I activity reduced blood pressure in a rat model of hypertension. The freeze- dried extract was supplemented in rodent chow. In this study 14-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats were fed for 10 weeks with the identified peptides added to chow and compared to controls supplemented with skim milk powder. Blood pressure (BP) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) from 6 to 10 weeks of FS groups (120/65 mmHg) compared with the NFS control groups, where the BP increased significantly (220/150 mmHg) (p < 0.05). The F6 fraction provided bioactive peptides with stronger antihypertensive properties than other fractions. Skim milk fermented by L. helveticus and Flavourzyme® generates several bioactive peptides which have a blood pressure lowering effect in hypertensive disease.

Principles of lactose crystallization and rheology of milk protein concentrate

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is a commercial designation for dairy ingredients with higher protein and lower lactose content than conventional skim milk powder. Lactose in its amorphous form is found in several spray-dried dairy powders. Amorphous lactose is thermodynamically unstable and can mobilize and crystallize over time under adequate temperature and moisture content. Moisture sorption from the air precedes crystallization, enhancing MPC cohesiveness and caking. This increased humidity results in poor rehydration and dispersibility, lower yield during drying, operation problems, difficulties in handling and storage. Moreover, lactose crystallization in MPC can cause Maillard browning reaction and fat oxidation. To avoid this problem, it is necessary to pre-crystallize lactose as alpha-lactose monohydrate, which is non-hygroscopic, before spray drying. Such a procedure is essential in preventing deterioration of MPC resulting from lactose crystallization or chemical reactions. Additionally, the control of this step is important to obtain specified and reproducible powder, in terms of size and crystallization level. There are various reports on the rheology of milk-based products; however, there is a lack of investigation on concentrated systems. Consequently, the objective of the present work is to review basic concepts of lactose crystallization and rheology of milk protein concentrate.

Development of Protocol for Lyophilization of Goat Rumen Fluid

Background: Rumen fluid has been used as microbial inoculum to treat indigestion in ruminant animals and to conduct in vitro rumen fermentation experiments. Lyophilization of the goat rumen fluid will provide continuous supply of rumen inoculums either for laboratory studies or for transfaunation in treating digestive disorders sequelae to high grain rations. However, no standard protocol is available for lyophilizing goat rumen fluid. Hence, this study was designed to develop a protocol to lyophilize goat rumen fluid as an alternate source for fresh goat rumen fluid. Methods: The study was conducted using 5 × 3 × 3 factorial design with four different cryoprotectants viz., 10% skim milk powder, 10% skim milk powder + 5% sodium glutamate, 5% glycerol, 5% DMSO and no cryoprotectant, at three pre freezing (2, 24 and 48 hours) and three freeze drying (8, 24 and 32 hours) time intervals to standardize protocol for lyophilizing goat rumen fluid. The viability of rumen microbes in the “lyophilized goat ruminal inoculum”, was determined via in vitro gas production study. Result: Pre freezing (-80°C deep freezer) duration of 48 hours with 32 hours of time duration in lyophilizer (-45°C) was ideal for lyophilizing goat rumen fluid with or without the addition of various cryoprotectants. Glycerol used at 5% as cryoprotectant resulted in significantly (P less than 0.05) highest gas production at all (12, 24 and 48) incubation hours studied indicating better viability of rumen microbes.

Price changes of dairy products in the European Union

This article presents changes in the prices of milk and other dairy products in the European Union (EU). First, the descriptive statistics of the prices of milk and dairy products are presented, and then correlation and regression analyses were conducted to measure the relationships between the prices. We used the augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model to measure the stationarity and changes in dairy product prices in the EU. At the EU level, we checked the changes in prices of butter, skim milk powder, whole milk powder, Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Emmental and whey powder. Our analysis confirmed that the butter, skim milk powder, whole milk powder, Cheddar, Edam and Gouda processes depend on previous values. The biggest price changes were observed in whey powder (34.12%), butter (24.46%) and skim milk powder (21.78%).

Spatial Price Dynamics and Asymmetric Price Transmission in Skim Milk Powder International Trade: Evidence from Export Prices for New Zealand and Ireland

A fast-changing global landscape highlights the importance of understanding spatial price dynamics in key international markets such as China, especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic with international food trade and food system experiencing an unprecedented challenge. Nowadays, New Zealand’s dominant position in China’s dairy import market is being challenged by European Union (EU) dairy exporters leading to intensified market competition. Using monthly export data of skim milk powder (SMP), we applied threshold cointegration models along with asymmetric error correction models to examine spatial price dynamics and price transmissions of New Zealand and Ireland in Chinese and global markets. We found that New Zealand’s export prices retain their leadership position in China, Ireland’s export prices are well more aligned with those in international markets. In terms of own-country price transmission, Ireland’s relatively symmetric and swift adjustments were found to contrast with New Zealand’s SMP export prices, which displayed more asymmetric price transmissions.