The application of healthy grains and their products in dairy products

July 05, 2024

The processing methods required for the application of healthy grains in different dairy products vary. For example, fermentation technology breaks down larger starch and proteins in grains into smaller molecules such as dextrin, oligosaccharides, reducing sugars, peptides, and amino acids. Research by Zhou Xuesong and others has shown that oligosaccharides are beneficial for the hydration of yogurt and can increase its viscosity; Peptides are beneficial for the growth and acid production of Streptococcus thermophilus.

This is because milk itself only contains a small amount of non protein nitrogen, and the protein hydrolysis ability of Streptococcus thermophilus is very weak. Therefore, milk is not an ideal culture medium for the growth of Streptococcus thermophilus. Adding peptides promotes the growth and acid production ability of Streptococcus thermophilus, thereby accelerating the fermentation process of fermented milk. And oligofructose also has a growth promoting effect on probiotics. Therefore, the application of healthy grains in dairy products not only meets the needs of consumers for the types and nutrients of dairy products, but also optimizes the processing characteristics of dairy products.

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Healthy grains and their products

Application in milk powder
Milk powder is a kind of powder product made of fresh milk as the main raw material, with or without auxiliary materials, through sterilization, concentration and spray drying. Healthy grain milk powder is a blended food made from healthy grains and fresh milk as raw materials.
Healthy grain milk powder not only achieves comprehensive and balanced nutrition, but also solves the problem of milk shortage in terms of raw materials.
The most important aspects of blending products are stability and solubility. Healthy grains can be stabilized and dissolved in milk powder through techniques such as ultra-fine crushing and extrusion puffing.
Moreover, dairy products contain a considerable proportion of casein micelles, which are amphiphilic and porous.
The amphiphilic and porous micelle structure of dairy products can better preserve nutrients in healthy grains in dairy products.
Meanwhile, the research results of Mahmoodani et al. showed a negative correlation between lipid oxidation products and Vitamin D3 content. The nutritional factor sterols in healthy grains are precursors of vitamin D3.

As the content of sterols increases, the lipid oxidation reaction will decrease. Therefore, the application of healthy grains rich in sterols in dairy products can also extend the shelf life of dairy products.

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Healthy grains and their products

Application in fermented dairy products
Fermented milk is a beverage or food made from raw milk by adding lactic acid bacteria and fermenting it. The milk beverage produced through lactic acid fermentation not only extends the shelf life of the product, but also has the effects of promoting the secretion of digestive enzymes and intestinal peristalsis, improving food digestion and absorption rate, and enhancing the body's immunity.
Viscosity is the main parameter for evaluating the texture of fermented milk. Nemska et al. showed that the formation of casein micelles was due to the increase of cross linking times between protein particles and the increase of structural strength, which would lead to the increase of water holding capacity, hardness and viscosity of gel.
The protein in different healthy grains changes the density of protein matrix in micro gel structure at different rates, thus affecting the viscosity of fermented milk.

In addition, proteins and peptides in dairy products can enhance the bioavailability of minerals and trace elements in healthy grains, such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, selenium, and iron. The complex carbohydrates (fiber, persistent starch, and oligosaccharides) in healthy grains also contain bacterial growth factors and prebiotic components.

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Healthy grains and their products

Application in ice cream
Ice cream is a complex food emulsion system composed of ice crystals, dispersed fat globules, air, protein water colloid structure, and continuous unfrozen aqueous phase.
It is loved by consumers for its refreshing taste. However, with the improvement of people's living standards and the transformation of consumption concepts, consumers demand that ice cream products not only meet the taste requirements but also have certain health benefits.
Healthy grains are also favored by consumers due to their rich nutritional value and diverse processing characteristics.
Therefore, developing an ice cream containing healthy grains will have broad market prospects. Moriano et al. studied the effect of ice binding proteins (also known as antifreeze proteins) on the structure and texture of ice cream. The results showed that ice cream made from winter rye ice kinin contains a large amount of ice crystals, which wrap the ice cream mixture in a rigid network, reducing ice cream hardness, making the product smooth, and overall acceptable.

In addition, a higher degree of fat in healthy grains can stabilize the air phase, which helps optimize the physical properties of ice cream, such as texture and melting characteristics.

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Outlook

The application of healthy grains in dairy products not only enriches the nutritional variety of dairy products, but also expands the flavor of dairy products and the utilization of healthy grains. The advantages of using healthy grains in dairy products are:
① Compared to milk, dairy products containing healthy grains have the characteristics of low calories and high nutrient content.
② Dairy products containing healthy grains compensate for the deficiency of various natural nutrients such as calcium, riboflavin, and casein in pure plant-based milk.
③ The texture of healthy grains or processed healthy grains is similar to that of milk fat.
Therefore, dairy products containing healthy grains give them a stronger texture and a natural aroma of grains. In addition, as healthy grains themselves generally have a natural sweetness, there is no need to add additional sweeteners.
The shortage of healthy grain dairy products in the market is:
① There is a single variety of healthy grains. There are many single grain products, especially oat products. However, there are relatively few mixed products of various grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, and Job's tears.
② The presentation form of healthy grains is relatively limited. At present, it is common for oats to appear in the form of granules in yogurt on the market. But there are very few other dairy products with real large grains.
③ There are relatively few types of products for specific consumer groups. With the development of the times, consumers will pay more attention to their nutrition and health care functions when choosing products, especially those with obesity and diabetes.
④ There are few cross-border products. Such as meal replacement milkshakes, etc. At present, substitute milkshakes include Mengniu's slow burning fiber milkshake milk and Wahaha's slender beauty quinoa milkshake.

⑤ Few product upgrades. In the market, whether it is pure milk or yogurt, the taste is mostly fruit based, while there are few grain based flavors such as barley and quinoa. Therefore, how to develop healthy multi grain health dairy products with delicate taste and unique flavor is currently an important research topic.

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2024-07-05

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