Types of milk and milk products

Milk is unique in its nutritional and biological value, digestibility and value for the organism. I. I. Pavlov called milk an amazing food prepared by nature itself. Indeed, milk and dairy products contain all the necessary nutrients for the body. These products are useful for children and adults, the sick and healthy.

In human nutrition, cow's milk is used, and in many areas of our country - goat, sheep, mare, camel, buffalo and deer.

In the milk revealed over 200 different nutrients. In addition to proteins, fats and carbohydrates, it contains minerals, vitamins, organic acids and other components.

The average protein content in milk is 3.2%. They have all the essential amino acids in the optimal ratio, including. deficient (lysine, tryptophan, methionine), without which the body cannot synthesize building material for tissue formation. In terms of digestibility, milk proteins occupy the first place, ahead of proteins of meat, fish, and cereals. Their digestibility is 95-97%. That is why milk and dairy products are called the easiest food, absolutely indispensable in children's and dietary nutrition.

The fat content in milk is on average 3.5%. It is easily digested and well absorbed by the body due to its low melting point and small size of fat particles, which are easily accessible to the action of digestive juices. There are about 20 fatty acids in milk, including irreplaceable linoleic, and arachidonic in the form of traces. Dairy fat contains phosphatides and sterols. Milk phosphatides contribute to the proper metabolism of fats, prevent their excessive deposition in the liver; have anti-sclerotic effect because they are involved in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism.

Thus, these substances give milk lipotropic and anti-sclerotic properties.

Carbohydrates in milk are contained in the amount of 4.8% (on average) and are represented mainly by milk sugar - lactose. Lactose under the influence of lactic acid microorganisms is fermented to form lactic acid. This property is widely used for the production of fermented milk products (kefir, yogurt, sour cream, etc.).

Milk contains macro and micronutrients. Their total number is 0.6–0.7%. More than half of the total mineral content of milk falls on calcium and phosphorus. Their assimilation is favored by a successful combination with milk proteins.

Milk contains almost all water- and fat-soluble vitamins. Our dairy industry produces milk of various fat content. The composition of the other components is almost the same. Therefore, the biological value is the same. The energy value of milk is lower, the lower the percentage of fat.

The range of dairy products includes dozens of species. These are cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, cheese, kefir, yogurt, etc. Like milk, dairy products are produced in different degrees of fat. Low fat foods are rich in proteins of high biological value, milk sugar or lactic acid, minerals and vitamins. These products are widely used in the nutrition of people of all age groups, especially children and adolescents. Low-fat dairy products are recommended for overweight people, as well as middle-aged and elderly people in order to prevent obesity.

Fermented milk products are widely used in our country. They have a tonic effect on the body, have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, contribute to a better metabolism, improve the activity of the digestive system, and suppress the vital activity of the putrefactive microflora of the intestines.

Digestibility of fermented milk products, especially kefir, is higher than milk. Sour-milk products include various types of yogurt (ordinary, acidophilic, ryazhenka, varenets, as well as acidophilic products - acidophilic milk, acidophilus, acidophilic paste). Acidophilic products are obtained by ripening milk with an acidophilus stick. This type of lactic acid microorganisms is able to take root in the human intestines and has a long beneficial effect on the body. Yoghurt, yoghurt, yoghurt and others have valuable properties. Sour milk product “Youth” is similar to yogurt in composition. It is produced non-fat, organoleptic properties reminiscent of ryazhenka. From the skimmed milk prepare the drink "Miners" (after fermentation, the drink is carbonated with carbon dioxide). From fermented milk secondary products are used in the diet buttermilk and whey. With a low fat content (0.4-1.0%) in these drinks, many components are contained in the same amount as in natural milk. From pasteurized whey get refreshing drinks: milk kvass, whey drink with tomato juice, etc.

Cheese is a healthy and nutritious product. In terms of protein content and their biological value, they are not inferior to either meat, or fish, or eggs, and exceed them in terms of energy value. In cheeses, as in no other product, there is a lot of calcium, and in the most easily digestible form, as it is combined with proteins and phosphorus. There are many types of cheeses, differing in the content of fats and other components (Dutch, Kostroma, Russian, etc.). Sour-milk cheeses include peasant, homemade, dietary. Dietary cheese is obtained from pasteurized buttermilk.

Condensed milk with sugar, skimmed milk powder and other canned milk used in the confectionery, bakery and other food industries. In the nutrition of children of the first year of life, various milk formulas are widely used.

To meet the physiological need of an adult for nutrients, the Institute of Nutrition recommends to use, along with other foods, 0.5 liters of milk, 10 g of sour cream, 20 g of cottage cheese, 18 g of cheese, 15 g of butter per day.