Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Susan Duncan, Dairy and Sensory Evaluation

Bill Eigel,                Food Biochemistry

Joe Marcy:               Food Processing

Merle Pierson: Food Microbiology

 Sean O’Keefe: Food Chemistry

Susan Sumner:   Food Safety

Walter Hartman:    Dairy Plant Manager whartman@vt.edu

Kim Waterman:  Dairy Chemistry    Kwater@vt.edu

updates at virginia tech

Hokie Cow Classic Golf Tournament

The Virginia Tech Departments of Dairy Science and Food Science and Technology announce the 2^nd Annual Hokie Cow Classic Golf Tournament and social/dinner.  These departments have a history of awarding scholarships to many students each year, but rising tuition costs hamper our ability to enroll some of the best students.  Your support in this event will aid efforts to increase scholarship funding and support for both 4-H and undergraduate programs.  

The tournament will be held at VA Tech’s new championship, 18-hole River Course.  Format for the competition is 4-person Captain’s Choice (scramble). Company-sponsored teams are encouraged. Individuals without a team preference are welcome and will be placed on a team.  Registration begins on May 27^th at 10 a.m.  Following the tournament, a social & dinner will be held in the new Lane Stadium South End Zone West.  For detailed registration information, visit our website: www.dasc.vt.edu, or contact Mike Barnes, (540)231-4772; Dave Winston, (540)231-5693; or Joe Marcy, (540)231-7850.

HOT TOPICS AND DAIRY ISSUES

Allergen Testing Update

 In October of last year, FDA announced that three rapid methods for detecting peanut proteins in ice cream, cookies, milk chocolate and breakfast cereal had been approved by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) as Performance Tested Methods.  The methods are available in the form of test kits that are designed to identify allergen-contaminated product before going to market. The test kits can be used on finished product, product contact surfaces or recycled Clean-in-Place (CIP) rinse water.  The tests monitor the efficiency of processing plant cleanup procedures and verify that the finished product is free of specific allergens.  While there are some minor differences in test kit design and application, they are all reliable (80% level of confidence) for the detection of peanut protein.  Approximately 40 analyses can be performed with each kit, and the cost per kit ranges from $450 to $650. 

An estimated six to seven million Americans suffer from food allergies, and peanuts are responsible for most severe or fatal reactions.  Ice cream manufacturers deal with many challenges when it comes to handling allergens because many formulations contain peanuts or peanut butter.  Dairy ingredient processors also must keep dairy products separated from non-dairy products, and more fluid milk processors are expanding into juice and soy processing and should be aware of potential sources of contamination.

There have been numerous ice cream recalls as a result of product contamination, with peanuts being distributed in packaging that did not list peanuts as an ingredient.  Generally, ice cream manufacturers follow good manufacturing procedures and incorporate HACCP into their daily operations.  They also typically run products containing known allergenic ingredients at the end of the day to prevent cross contamination. 

Because the presence of allergens is much more prominent in today’s dairy processing environment, processors may want to consider including an allergen testing program in the processing plant’s HACCP plan.  Implementation will improve product safety, quality and productivity and will increase consumer acceptance by preventing a recall, or worse, a death.

Heart-Healthy Cheese

The American Heart Association recommends including fish in your diet because of the high content of omega-3 fats.  Jürg H. Beer and co-workers of the Canton Hospital in Baden, Switzerland have found that cheeses produced in alpine areas near Gstaad, Switzerland contain a more heart-healthy mix of fats than cheeses made from the milk of cows grazing at lower altitudes.  These alpine cheeses were highest in omega-3 fats, such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and they had relatively low concentrations of saturated fats and arachidonic acid (a fatty acid that can promote inflammation in the body).  Cheeses made from the milk of grass-fed alpine cows also exhibited the highest levels of the unusual trans fatty acid, conjugated linoleic acid, that several studies have linked to cancer prevention.  Some plants produce omega-3 fats in abundance and the grass-fed alpine livestock are probably grazing on these plant varieties. 

In order to profile the fats in various cheeses, the researchers sampled 12 alpine cheeses (hard cheeses) from the Gstaad region, 7 commercially made English Cheddars, 6 cheeses from cows whose diets had been supplemented with linseeds rich in omega-3 fats, 7 commercially produced Swiss cheeses, and 8 alpine cheeses made from the milk of cows that received corn silage.

Cheeses from the milk of purely grass-fed alpine cows had the best fat profile, followed by cheeses from silage-fed alpine cows and linseed-supplemented cows.  Lowest in omega-3 fatty acids were the Swiss cheeses, followed by the Cheddars.  Grass-based alpine cheese contained 4 times more plant omega-3 ALA than Cheddar, more omega-3 fats in general, 3 times more conjugated linoleic acid, and was 20% lower in the saturated fat palmitic acid.   Surprisingly, cheese from the milk of cows that received the linseed supplement contained only half as much ALA as the cheeses from grass-fed alpine cows.  Swiss contained only 40% as much of this omega-3 fatty acid as the alpine cheeses.

Beer notes that populations living in alpine regions have developed a reputation for longevity that the locals attribute to their dairy-rich diet. Most people living in industrialized countries consume an average of 55 grams of cheese per day.  That much Cheddar would supply 62 milligrams of ALA daily, which is 22% less than an equal amount of alpine cheese.  Just swapping one cheese for the other could increase daily ALA consumption by 210 milligrams.  A 1999 Harvard study indicated that increasing the ALA content of the U.S. diet by 210 milligrams per day could cut the population’s risk of fatal heart attacks by 15 to 20%. 

Houswirth, C.B….and J.H. Beer. 2004.  High ω-3 fatty acid content in alpine cheese:  The basis for an alpine paradox.  Circulation 109:103-107.

Mad Cow Milk Not A Threat

The dairy industry appears to be unaffected by the discovery of the first case of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S. in December.  The FDA quickly proclaimed that the milk supply in Washington was perfectly safe following the discovery of a cow with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in that state. 

“The scientific data indicate that milk from BSE cows does not transmit BSE,” stated the FDA.  “National and international public health organizations have consistently stated that milk and milk products are safe regardless of whether the country producing them has had cases of BSE”. 

In late January, animal health officials investigating the case identified 3 animals in Idaho that were herdmates of the infected dairy cow in Washington State.  After Washington and Oregon, Idaho became the third state to have cattle herds quarantined since December 23.