Abstract
Lactose intolerance is a problem suffered by a large part of the world population. The simplest solution is to remove (partially or completely) dairy products from diet. However, a more convenient alternative from the nutritional viewpoint would be to replace the intake of regular dairy products by others in which the lactose content has been modified. In effect, the dairy products with reduced-lactose and lactose-free contents are examples of added-value products, whose production is targeted to a specific group of consumers. The increased manufacture of these dairy products is driven by the increasing knowledge we have on the lactose intolerance problem.
There are different technological methods to modify the lactose content in dairy products, such as enzymatic hydrolysis, ultrafiltration and chromatography. The lactose hydrolysis using β-galactosidases is the strategy most widely used in the industry, making it possible to obtain products with low lactose levels. A wide range of this type of products such as milks, creams, ice-creams and fermented milks, are commercially available around the world. In Latin America, which records a very high incidence of deficient-lactase individuals, there are delactosed products available such as fluid and powder milks and some fermented milks. The consumption of fermented dairy products has undergone a rapid increase in Argentina, where the yogurt is the most popular product. In this context, we are working on different aspects on the production of lactose-hydrolyzed yogurt, as this product is still not available in the Argentinean market.
The purpose of this contribution is to review the current knowledge on the lactose intolerance problem and the reducedlactose dairy products, with special emphasis on the applied technological processes. Preliminary results obtained by our research group are also included.
Keywords: Lactose intolerance, Technological process, Lactose-modified dairy products, b-galactosidases, ultrafiltration, chromatography, decalcification process, milk, glycosidic linkage, bifidobacteria
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Functional Foods in Human Health and Beyond
Foods are important source of nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and other minerals. Furthermore, the functional foods are those agents that have additional components that are essential supports to the body in terms of antioxidant and pharmacologically active agents. The predominant functional foods are of plant in origin, whereas some ...read more
Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Food Waste: Sustainable Extraction Strategies and Health Applications
Food waste presents a significant challenge across the postharvest cycle, from agricultural production to distribution. However, within this waste lies a treasure trove of bioactive chemicals that hold immense potential for nutraceuticals, functional foods, and postharvest additives, including antimicrobials. Various extraction methods, such as solvent extraction (SE), supercritical fluid extraction ...read more
Natural Bioactive Compounds Derivatives in Nutraceutical and Food Science
In the last years, plants have been widely used for their numerous properties and now there is growing interest in the study of classes of compounds obtained from plant species or derived from them. The importance of these natural compounds lies in their important therapeutic purposes, and in their capability ...read more
Related Books
Functional Foods for Health Maintenance: Understanding their Role in Cancer Prevention
Green Extraction Techniques in Food Analysis
Algal Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Benefits, Opportunities, and Challenges
Micronutrients: The Key to Good Health
Capillary Electrophoresis in Food Analysis
Nutritional Biochemistry: From the Classroom to the Research Bench
Hypersensitivity to Vitamins
Foods for Special Dietary Regimens
33