Milk drink, milk and whey blend: Find out what’s behind these “new” products

As inflation rose over the course of that year, many food brands, especially those of dairy, began offering similar products: whey, milk drinks, mixes, cooking cream, and more. It is found in supermarkets as a cheaper option for original products, such as milk, yogurt, condensed milk and cream. The nutritional composition of these foods is very different from the original, but the packaging is very similar and they are placed side by side on the shelf, causing consumer confusion. “He thinks he’s buying the original product, with the advantage of a low price. But, in practice, you realize none of this was what you took home with you,” says the nutritionist, Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology and Professor of Nutrition Course at University of Pozitivo (UP), Marianna Echebar.

According to her, labeling is a tool that guarantees the consumer’s right to information and helps make choices that take into account nutritional aspects, cultural and consumption habits. Information on food labels must be accurate, standardized, and understandable. The search for healthy food, along with the use of some by-products by the industry, favors the development of new products, similar to the already traditional ones. He points out that “the consumer needs to be aware of these differences before making a decision.”

Understand the parts of milk in the industrial process

An example of this is a milk drink. According to the teacher, the term can include a series of products made from milk and whey. It is the dairy product resulting from a mixture of milk (natural, pasteurized, sterilized, UHT, reconstituted, concentrate, powdered, whole, semi-skimmed, partially skimmed or skimmed) and whey ( liquid, concentrate or powder), with or without food or food product(s), vegetable fats, fermented milk(s), selected dairy products, and other dairy products,” Mariana details.

But whey is the remaining liquid resulting from the coagulation of milk intended for the manufacture of milk Cheese And the milk itself. “Half of the whey is practically not used, which results in food and financial waste and greatly affects the environment. He explains that mass production in the country produces a huge amount of these materials, because they are perishable and can become polluted.” “But whey is a closely related by-product of cheese making because it is mass-produced and contains approximately 55% of the nutrients in milk. Industrial use in human food products is still considered low. Despite its high mineral content, However, it ends up causing a decreased sensory acceptance of foods that contain it. Therefore, beverages, especially fermented beverages, which offer new flavors and aromas, have been developed with the aim of restoring this important source of nutrients to the human food chain,” he says.

But what is the difference between yogurt and a dairy drink?

Some people confuse yogurt with a gondola milk drink. Yoghurt is a type of fermented milk, with or without the addition of other foodstuffs, obtained by coagulation and lowering the pH of milk, or reconstituted, with or without the addition of other dairy products, by lactic fermentation through the action of specific microorganisms. , he explains. Nutritionally, yogurt is more complete because it contains more protein and calcium as well as bacteria beneficial to the intestinal flora. But a dairy drink does not contain all of these nutrients in the same amount.” For starters, it is more diluted, while yogurt is more concentrated and creamy. manufacturing cost. However, it is less caloric and nutritious than yogurt.

Complaints champ: Dairy mix is ​​not condensed milk

Traditional condensed milk is made by reducing cow’s milk and sugar, which gives the sweet a yellow and creamy appearance. Milk mixture, as the name suggests, mixes whey, vegetable fat, skim milk, sugar, and cornstarch, plus chemical additives, such as thickeners and preservatives. This makes the dairy mixture cheaper and has a texture similar to that of condensed milk, but in practice the products are very different, and may not be the best choice for replacing condensed milk in recipes.

Powdered milk and dairy compounds

This one has the same packaging, what is the product name change. “Milk, as the name suggests, is made from dried powdered milk. It does not contain any addition of any mineral or other compound. It is a natural product and contains sugar, vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and other substances found in milk itself,” teaches the teacher. Compound dairy is an alternative to cow’s milk “It is also a powdered product, but it contains a mixture of at least 50% milk and other substances that could be dairy products, such as whey, butter, or cream, or non-dairy mixtures, such as vegetable oils and maltodextrin.”, is an example. I can’t say this product is unhealthy. However, it may not be recommended for a particular group of the population, for example, children under two years of age. For them, the best thing is to feed them, preferably breast milk or powdered milk specifically for this age group,” he recommends.

Sour cream and cooking cream

The first is based on cow’s milk cream and skimmed milk powder. But there is a caveat here: The cream in the tetrapak version (The box) contains thickeners and stabilizers, as well as xanthan gum, while the canned version does not. That is, the canned version, although more expensive and in larger quantities, contains fewer additives and preservatives than the tetrapak version. However, cooking cream is not entirely based on milk, but on vegetable creams, other non-dairy ingredients, starch, additives, emulsifiers, and stabilizers to achieve a texture and flavor close to milk cream. In addition, since it contains more chemical additives, its storage time is longer. And it’s cheaper,” he says. “For all these reasons, in general, we can say that similar foods, which do not contain dairy products in their preparation, but are mixtures of dairy products and non-dairy compounds, are not as nutritious as the original products,” he says.

Cream cheese flavour

The product also causes a lot of confusion on the shelf because, in addition to being alongside traditional curd cheese, some brands only specify in detail that it is a starchy product or that it is a cream-flavored curd. The creamy dish has a dairy base and is produced from fermented milk which is later melted with milk cream or butter to give the food creaminess. “Requeijão with starch has a lower nutritional base. Not to mention that it usually contains vegetable fats, palm oil, and a higher amount of additives, such as preservatives and thickeners to give a flavor and texture similar to traditional curd cheese,” he assures.

* Marianna Echebar – Nutritionist, PhD in Food Science and Technology and Professor of Nutrition Course at the University of Pozitivo (UP).

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