ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS

Abstract

Nutrition affects human health, productivity and life expectancy, and is one of the important aspects of the environment. Proper nutrition is the basis of health, since what we consume contributes to the development and renewal of cells and tissues, and is also a source of energy for the body, regardless of whether we are talking about physical activity or a calm state.One of the promising areas of development of the dairy industry in Ukraine is the creation of dairy products with antioxidant properties. Milk and dairy products are essential for human nutrition. They contain a number of such important ingredients as proteins, calcium, indispensable fatty acids and amino acids, water soluble vitamins and number of biological components that are highly important for biochemical and physiological functions. Nowadays, food that contain natural antioxidants becomes extremely popular worldwide since antioxidants can neutralize free radicals, reduce negative effects. Uncontrollable activity of free radicals lead to oxidative stress that provokes break down of essential lipids, proteins, nucleic acids followed by development of diabetes, early aging of the organism, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.Antioxidant potential of milk and dairy products are determined by Sulphur-containing amino acids (ex. Cysteine), phosphates, vitamins A and E, carotenoids, zink, selenium, enzymes superoxidedismutase, catalase, glutathionperoxidase, as well as dairy oligosaccharides and peptides produced during fermentation and ripening of cheese. Antioxidant capacity of milk and dairy product can be intensified through phytochemical supplementation. It was demonstrated that fermented dairy products possess higher antioxidant activity than nonfermented. Research showed that antioxidant potential of cheese increases throughout the ripening process and correlates with the amount of produced water soluble peptides.It was also revealed that strains of some cultures produce active peptides during fermentation of milk therefore significantly increasing antioxidant capacity of product and protecting organism from oxidative stress.