The Role of Bovine and Non-Bovine Milk in Cardiometabolic Health: Should We Raise the “Baa”?

Although causality is yet to be confirmed, a considerable volume of research has explored the relationships between cow milk consumption, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Contrastingly, it has not been comprehensively examined whether milk of non-bovine origin can provide cardiometabolic protection. This narrative review outlines the marked differences in macronutrient composition, particularly protein and lipid content, and discusses how whole milk product (and individual milk ingredients) from different species could impact cardiometabolic health. There is some data, although primarily from compositional analyses, animal studies, and acute clinical trials, that non-bovine milk (notably sheep and goat milk) could be a viable substitute to cow milk for the maintenance, or enhancement, of cardiometabolic health. With a high content of medium-chain triglycerides, conjugated linoleic acid, leucine, and essential minerals, sheep milk could assist in the prevention of metabolic-related disorders. Similarly, albeit with a lower content of such functional compounds relative to sheep milk, goat and buffalo milk could be plausible counterparts to cow milk. However, the evidence required to generate nutritional recommendations for ‘non-bovine milk’ is currently lacking. Longer-term randomised controlled trials must assess how the bioactive ingredients of different species’ milks collectively influence biomarkers of, and subsequently incidence of, cardiometabolic health.

Status of the buffalo milk trade and dairy manufacturing business at Bhola district of Bangladesh, and opportunities for buffalo milk products branding

The objective of this study was to know the existing buffalo milk trade and dairy products production status along with scope for buffalo milk product branding. Hence, a face-to-face interview with eighteen milk traders and processors were performed through simple random sampling method. Milk traders and processors were above 25 years old (94%) and above 5 years (89%) experienced in dairy business. The findings exposed that 11% of the participants were involved in milk collection and selling, 39% were directly involved in product manufacturing, and 50% were engaged in milk collection and processing. Among the manufactured dairy products, traditionally made fermented doi was the best - selling dairy product in the Bhola district. About 47% participants desired to incorporate fat-rich dairy products into their production processes. In general, milk traders sold the maximum amount of milk monthly to doi manufacturers (1453 L), followed by local customers (1175 L), sweetmeat manufacturers (1000 L), restaurants (257 L), and household consumers (250 L). Results showed that buffalo milk prices varied significantly (P<0.001) over the year. The peak buffalo milk price (122 BDT/L) was recorded between November and December, and the off-peak price (82 BDT/L) was between March to May. Data indicated that about 43-50 BDT profit derived through per kg doi and sweetmeat selling. Milk traders and processors mentioned that studied areas had greater shortage of milk preservation facilities. Overall, the findings of this study may give some context for developing sustainable buffalo milk and dairy products value chain in Bangladesh. Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.8(3): 301-310, December 2021

Development of Local Functional Food Made of Buffalo Milk Improved with Culture Probiotics (Lactobacillus casei)

The research was conducted to develop functional food products of milk-based livestock origin (Semi hard-type cheese), with the addition of pure culture Lactobacillus casei as a probiotic agent, and citric acid and Mucor meihei as milk coagulants. The research material was semi-hard type cheese made of approximately 35 liters of buffalo milk from West Sumbawa Regency as a basic ingredient with the probiotic pure culture. The results showed that the pure culture of probiotic (Lactobacillus casei) at levels of 10% and 15% can survive and develop quite well in semi-hard cheese during aging, from 1 day, 7 days, and 14 days, respectively (3.79 – 5.92) and (4.91 – 6.31) log cfu g-1. While the 0.025% rennet of the volume of milk from Mucor miehei gives a pretty good result, it can be seen from the product recovery which can reach (34.30 + 0.32) %. During aging for 14 days, an organoleptic quality which includes aroma, color, and texture was getting better, with the criteria of a semi-hard aroma, yellowish-white color, and semi-hard texture. It can be concluded, that semi-hard type cheese can be used as one of the functional foods of probiotic carriers. To get the therapeutic effect, this probiotic should be consumed at least 100 grams per serving.

The Conventional and Modern Uses of Water Buffalo Milk in the Philippines

In Southeast Asia, milking of livestock is not common. In the Philippines, water buffalo (carabao) milk has been used since the Spanish colonial period of the 16th century. Milk is processed into cheese (kesong puti) or candy (pastillas). These customs are found in a few areas on the Islands of Luzon and Visayas. However, in 1996, following the launch of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), the uses of modern milk have been practiced nationwide using Murrah (buffalo), which produces more milk than a carabao. This paper analyzes the dairy transition currently occurring in the Philippines from the conventional uses of carabao milk to the modern uses of Murrah milk. Intensive fieldwork was broadly conducted in conventional and modern milk use areas of the country, with water buffalo management and milk use systems researched using participatory observation and interview methods. This study delves into how the conventional uses of water buffalo milk have helped support the livelihood of special farmers and whether recent government-backed projects, such as enhancing the ability of water buffaloes to produce milk, have made carabaos dispensable. The shift to modern milk uses, which relies on buffalo milk, has become a national project, in order to improve the subsistence of peasant farmers. This paper concludes that the modern dairy farming of Murrah is becoming popular in farming societies close to the PCC and that the dairy culture has changed from being a minor conventional regional system to a major industrial farming and business system to sustain the lives of local small-scale farmers.

Impact of Freezing on the Microbiological Quality and Physical Characteristics of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from Campania is one of the most worldwide appreciated Italian dairy products. The increased demand for buffalo dairy products and the limited availability of the finest buffalo milk has prompted the diffusion of illicit practices, such as the use of milk, curd, or other products that are frozen or bought at low cost. The aim of this research was to provide preliminary results about the trend of the microbial communities of buffalo milk, curd and Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, during freezing storage of eleven months. At the same time, the alterations of physical properties and the presence of the molecular marker “γ4-casein”, have been investigated. The results showed that freezing reduced the concentrations of the total bacterial count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Escherichia coli and yeasts in fresh milk and, the concentrations of the total bacterial count, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in mature curd. In the finished product, no notable decreases were observed, except for lactic acid bacteria. About the γ4-casein, no increase was observed in all matrices. These preliminary results allow us to conclude that the freezing process if properly carried out, does not compromise the microbiological quality and the physical properties of the Buffalo Mozzarella cheese.

Alterations in health-related fatty acids in buffalo milk after processing to traditional dairy products

Milk provides some beneficial fatty acids which in dairy processing are subjected to pasteurization and fermentation. With the aim to assess such changes, aliquot parts of milk from 12 buffaloes were pooled and processed to germinated yoghurt and brined cheese, and to non-germinated curd – the respective samples of raw and dairy material subjected to lipid analysis. The results show that in cheese positive and negative changes are generally balanced, rumenic acid decreasing and other CLAs altered but not total CLA and PUFA; omega ratio and atherogenicity index worsened to little extent, due to adverse change in n-3, myristic and lauric acid. In yoghurt and curd CLA dramatically decreased, excluding rumenic acid; but vaccenic acid increased, though total trans isomers decreased; the worsened n-6/n-3 ratio and atherogenicity index is mostly because of the adverse effect on PUFAn-3 but also on myristic and lauric acid. In all products SFA and MUFA did not change, including palmitic, stearic, and oleic acid. It can be concluded that the decrease of CLA in yoghurt and curd is partially compensated by the increase in the vaccenic acid, while cheese making altered individual isomers but not groups of beneficial acids.

Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters

Waste reduction and reuse is a crucial target of current research efforts. In this respect, the present study was focused on providing an example of local investment in a simple process configuration that converts whey into value-added compounds and allows recovery of a clean water stream. In particular, buffalo milk whey obtained during mozzarella manufacturing was ultrafiltered in-house on spiral membrane modules (20 kDa), and the two obtained fractions, namely the retentate and the permeate, provided by the dairy factory, were further processed during this work. The use of an additional nanofiltration step allowed the recovery of high-quality water to be reused in the production cycle (machine rinsing water within the facility) and/or in agriculture, also reducing disposal costs and the environmental impact. The ultrafiltration retentate, on the other hand, was spray-dried and the powder obtained was used as the main substrate for the cultivation of Lactobacillus fermentum, a widely studied probiotic with anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and cholesterol-lowering properties. In addition, the same sample was tested in vitro on a human keratinocytes model. Resuspended concentrated whey powder improved cell reparation rate in scratch assays, assisted through time-lapse video-microscopy. Overall these data support the potential of buffalo whey as a source of biologically active components and recyclable water in the frame of a local circular economy approach.