ADSA 2022 Student Writings Part 6

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Our sixth writing was done by Rebecca Rahn. She is a recent graduate with her BS in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. She will be starting vet school this fall.

ADSA-SAD Dairy Foods Oral Competition focused at several topics

Six students presented various topics in the ADSA Student Affiliate Division Dairy Foods Oral Competition at ADSA 2022.

The session began with the University of Georgia’s Renee Hutton presenting on the legalization of raw milk sales. According to research, consumers have incorporated raw dairy products into their diets for possible health benefits. As a result, consumers have sought loopholes, such as purchasing raw milk sold as pet food for personal consumption. Currently, some states have regulations on raw milk sales, however, these vary across the country. Pushing to legalize testing and inspection of these products can help minimize the risk for those who want to consume raw dairy products.

Josh Becker from Virginia Tech presented on quality control methods for detecting the A1 variant. Individuals with milk sensitivities are usually sensitive to the A1 variant in milk, so companies are beginning to produce A2 variant milk so those with sensitivities can enjoy consuming milk. However, there are no guidelines at the production plant on the acceptable levels of A1 variant allowed in milk marketed as A2 milk. Through methods such as SNP genotyping, ELISA, and Liquid Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry, the levels of A1 variant in a milk sample can be detected, therefore allowing for the beginning of guidelines created so consumers can be confident in the product they are purchasing.

Cessna Langford from the University of Kentucky discussed whether dairy foods are healthy. Conflicting literature exists on the health benefits of dairy products, making it difficult for consumers to make an educated decision on dairy product consumption. She touched on a few different medical diagnoses such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and colorectal cancer and how milk has been shown to help. A few examples are how the beta-lactoglobulin found in milk can act as a vasodilator and how calcium can help decrease uncontrolled cell growth that causes colorectal cancer.

Sara Hettinger from the University of Florida presented on synthetic milk and the emergence of cellular agriculture. She went over the in-vitro synthesis of how they create the animal milk protein and culture them in plant fats and sugars. In addition to milk, companies are beginning the production of cheese. However, by definition, these products cannot be called milk. There have also been some studies to see if there is an environmental impact.

Rebecca Rahn from the University of Tennessee presented how milk components affect cheese quality. After reviewing the importance of casein to cheese production, she reviewed the casein micelle structure and how it impacts the coagulatory ability during the cheese-making process. She discussed a study that classified milk samples into four categories and how those milk categories affected the rennet clotting time, curd firming time, and curd firmness. Continuing with a study conducted on the impact of the addition of calcium and calcium with citrate on the size of the casein micelle, rennet coagulation time, and critical coagulation concentration.

Wrapping up the session, Caroline Arrowsmith from The Pennsylvania State University discussed the importance of postbiotics. She explained how postbiotics result from prebiotic digestion and how they can have positive health benefits.