Transforming Milk in a Global Economy

How starter cultures affect the peptidomic profile and bioactive activities of the Asiago-PDO cheese throughout ripening

Our study investigated the chemical, microbiological, and bioactive peptide profiles of Asiago Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese from two dairies (Dairy I and II) produced over two consecutive days (batches) and analysed during three months of ripening. The effect of different starter cultures was evaluated. The microbiome varied between the dairies and batches, with curds post-salting dominated by the starter culture-associated genera. During ripening, there was an increasing trend in the Lactobacillus genus, especially for Dairy I, which used an industrial starter. Bioactive peptide intensities differed throughout ripening due to the extent of proteolysis, and their intensity or concentration evolved, modifying, and differentiating profiles. The industrial starter used in Dairy I had the highest relative intensity (average value 76.50%) of bioactive peptides after three months of ripening. In contrast, the cheeses made with natural milk starter (Dairy II) had lower total relative intensity (average value 47.75%) but produced ACE-inhibitory peptides through sub-dominant strains and non-starter lactic acid bacteria. The importance of autochthonous strains of each micro-region even within a delimited PDO production area was highlighted.

White as milk: Biocentric bias in the framing of lactose intolerance and lactase persistence

The majority of the world population is lactose intolerant, as 65%-70% of people lose the enzymes to digest lactose after infancy. Yet, in the United States, where lactose intolerance is predicted to affect only 36% of people, this phenomenon is often framed as a deficiency as opposed to the norm. This is because the United States has a higher prevalence of people who are lactase persistent. Lactase persistence is a genetic trait most common among Europeans and some African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian groups with a history of animal domestication and milk consumption. In this study, we take the case of lactose intolerance to examine how popular media maintains biocentric biases. Analysing relevant articles published in The New York Times and Scientific American between 1971 and 2020, we document how ideas about milk, health and race evolve over time. Over this fifty-year period, writers shifted from framing lactose intolerance as racial difference to lactase persistence as evolutionary genetics. Yet, articles on the osteoporosis 'epidemic' and vitamin D deficiency worked to perpetuate lactose intolerance as a health concern and standardise the dairy-heavy American diet. Studying media portrayals of lactose intolerance and lactase persistence, we argue that popular discourses normalise biocentric biases through messages about eating behaviours and health.

Palatable disruption: the politics of plant milk

Plant-based milk alternatives-or mylks-have surged in popularity over the past ten years. We consider the politics and consumer subjectivities fostered by mylks as part of the broader trend towards 'plant-based' food. We demonstrate how mylk companies inherit and strategically deploy positive framings of milk as wholesome and convenient, as well as negative framings of dairy as environmentally damaging and cruel, to position plant-based as the 'better' alternative. By navigating this affective landscape, brands attempt to (re)make mylk as simultaneously palatable and disruptive to the status quo. We examine the politics of mylks through the concept of palatable disruption, where people are encouraged to care about the environment, health, and animal welfare enough to adopt mylks but to ultimately remain consumers of a commodity food. By encouraging consumers to reach for "plant-based" as a way to cope with environmental catastrophe and a life out of balance, mylks promote a neoliberal ethic: they individualize systemic problems and further entrench market mechanisms as solutions, thereby reinforcing the political economy of industrial agriculture. In conclusion, we reflect on the limits of the current plant-based trend for transitioning to more just and sustainable food production and consumption.

Dairy and milk consumption and child growth: Is BMI involved? An analysis of NHANES 1999-2004

Humans are unique among mammals in that many consume cow's milk or other dairy products well beyond the traditional age of weaning. Milk provides various nutrients and bioactive molecules to support growth and development, and the question arises as to whether this dietary behavior influences growth parameters. There is evidence that milk makes positive contributions to growth in height, but its associations with other aspects of body size, such as body mass index (BMI), are not well-established. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 1999 to 2004 and multivariate regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis that milk (g) or total dairy product consumption (kJ) is associated with higher BMI percentile among US White, Black, and Mexican-American children of age 2-4 years (n = 1,493) and 5-10 years (n = 2,526). Younger children in the highest quartile of dairy intake had higher BMIs (beta = 7.5-8.0; P < 0.01) than those in the lowest two quartiles. Controlling for energy intake eliminated differences between QIV and QI. Among children of 5-10 years of age dairy intake had no relationship to BMI. Young children in the highest quartile of milk intake had higher BMIs than all lower quartiles (beta = 7.1-12.8; beta = 6.3-11.8 in energy-controlled models; P < 0.05). Among children of 5-10 years of age, those in QIV for milk intake had higher BMIs than those in QII (beta = 8.3; beta = 7.1 in energy-controlled model; P < 0.01). Controlling for total protein or calcium did not change the results. Milk had more consistent positive associations with BMI than did dairy products, and these were strongest among children of 2-4 years of age.