What are Dairy Products?
What foods can be considered dairy products?
In the common meaning, the term dairy indicates the variegated family of food products derived from milk.
In the English language we talk about Dairy Products, or dairy products, which are considered by most to be a synonym of dairy products. While waiting for the terms and regulations to be established in the institutional offices, we see a general overview of the numerous milk derivatives.
Butter, cheese, ricotta, cream, yoghurt and fermented milks are undoubtedly the most popular dairy products for the general public.
- Cream, or milk cream, is the raw material from which butter is obtained and represents " the product obtained from milk, in the form of a fat emulsion in water with a minimum content, by weight, of milk fats of 10 %. "It represents, therefore, the fat part of the milk, usually obtained by centrifugation at 6500-7000 rpm (alternatively it can be obtained by surfacing, that is by slow decantation in tanks or steel basins).
- The butter is obtained by concentrating the cream obtained from milk or whey, and as such it can be considered a concentrate of the lipid fraction of milk.
- The fermented milks are obtained by inoculating particular microbial strains into the milk, which make profound changes in the organoleptic characteristics and chemical composition of the milk of origin. To this family of dairy products belong yogurt, gioddu, kefir, koumis, leben and other typical products of the tradition of the various nations.
- The cheese is the product obtained from the acid or rennet coagulation of caseins present in milk (curd).
See also: dairy allergy; dairy intolerance; lactose in dairy products.
Nutritional properties
The nutritional values and organoleptic characteristics of dairy products vary in relation to the milk of origin; on the market we have in fact products not only vaccines, but also goats, pecorino cheeses, buffaloes etc.
In relation to energy power, dairy products can be divided into four categories:
- high calories (above 400 kcal / 100 g, such as mascarpone, sbrinz, emmenthal, pecorino and caciocavallo);
- calories (between 300 and 400 kcal / 100 g, such as parmesan, fontina, scamorza, taleggio, and most of the cheeses not mentioned in the other categories);
- normal (between 200 and 300 kcal / 100 g, such as mozzarella and stracchino);
low-calorie (under 200 kcal / 100 g, such as ricotta, cottage cheese and yogurt).
The calorific value of a dairy product may vary depending on the production process and the origins of the starting milk; the mozzarellas on the market, for example, have nutritional values that are also significantly different from each other, depending - above all - on the percentages of fat parts. In fact, this strongly affects the flavor of the product and it is no coincidence that it is clearly superior in buffalo mozzarella compared to cow's milk.
Dairy in the Diet
Contextualization of dairy products in a balanced diet
Needless to say, the preference, from the health point of view, should be given to low-calorie dairy products, which also boast a lower content of saturated fatty acids, dangerous - if consumed in large quantities - because they amplify the negative effects of excess cholesterol. It must be said, however, that even the fattest cheeses are healthily acceptable, as long as they are consumed in limited quantities and with due care. A seemingly harmless pasta dish (100 grams), with a few tablespoons of puree (30 grams), a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan (20 grams), a basil leaf and a drizzle of olive oil (10 grams) is a delicacy that is expensive in terms of calories, since it abundantly exceeds 500 calories and produces a modest sense of satiety. Forty grams of flakes of Parmesan, served on a bed of bresaola (80 grams), rocket (or other fresh vegetables in abundance) and a drizzle of oil, save about 150 KCal compared to the previous dish, with the advantage of feeling much more satiated at the end of the meal. Still referring to this last parameter, soft, semi-liquid or spreadable dairy products have a lower satiety index than those with hard paste. It is not uncommon, for example, to swallow industrial quantities of mascarpone or yogurt in the grip of a hunger attack, while it is more difficult to get rid of Grana Padano in flakes.
Other prohibitive combinations, in caloric terms, are given by the combination of cheese / bread, cheese / honey or cheese / jam, further aggravated by the combination with wine or other spirits. Obviously everything is in the quantities, but also in the quality of the dairy product and in the frequency of consumption; one thing is to systematically finish the evening meal by pairing the mascarpone with the jam and one thing is to propose the same combination from time to time with ricotta (which has less than one third of the calories). The ideal combinations for dairy products are those that strongly eliminate or reduce carbohydrates (limited, for example, to some breadstick or a slice of wholemeal bread), since the customary combination of hyperlipidic foods with other hyperglucides is one of the most faithful allies of the overweight.
| Food | Calcium (mg) | Fats (g) |
| Whole milk | 120 | 3.4 |
| Milk p. skimmed | 120 | 1.8 |
| Skimmed milk | 120 | 0.2 |
| Whole yogurt | 111 | 3.9 |
| Skim yogurt | 94 | 0.9 |
| Fresh cheeses (mozzarella) | 403 | 16 |
| Soft cheeses without crust (crescenza) | 440 | 22 |
| Semi-hard cheeses (fontina) | 870 | 25 |
| Hard mature cheeses (Parmesan) | 1340 | 26 |
Bread, pasta and the like can be replaced by vegetables, raw or steamed (spinach, courgettes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, rocket, onions ...), possibly flavored with various spices, capers, sesame seeds or, why not, for some smoked salmon slice.
The nutritional importance of dairy products derives above all from their particular richness in highly bioavailable calcium. A daily ration of 1200 mg is contained, for example, in a jar of yogurt associated with 50 grams of Parmesan and 3 deciliters of milk. In cheeses the calcium content per unit of weight increases proportionally to the seasoning period (as generally happens with fats). Alternative sources of calcium, although less bioavailable, are represented by legumes, some vegetables (such as broccoli and cabbage), dried fruit and small blue fish, such as anchovies.
