Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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 Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party

Once again, Food Science faculty, staff and students will make the annual trek to Washington D.C. to serve ice cream and root beer floats to thousands of people, including many senators and Congressional members. This is the 24 th year for the Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party, sponsored by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). The intent is to celebrate National Dairy Month and to showcase current IDFA activities. The party also serves to bring attention to current issues concerning the dairy industry. Volunteers from VA Tech and from Penn State will arrive in D.C. on June 15 th to dish up every variety of ice cream known to man for a few scorching afternoon hours.

  HOT TOPICS AND DAIRY ISSUES

  New Technology for Cottage Cheese Manufacture

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) funded research by CPS Scherping, Cabot Creamery, and the Minnesota-South Dakota Dairy Research Center that led to a breakthrough in cottage cheese making technology.

CPS Scherping's Horizontal Cottage Cheese Vat (HCCV) replaces traditional open-vat cheesemaking with an enclosed system that automates every step of the process. Lloyd Metzger, assistant professor in the Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota says the traditional open-vat process for cottage cheese manufacturing relies heavily on human operators, which can lead to inconsistent batches. With this system, manufacturers can better control the quality of the cheese. By automating the entire process within an enclosed system, the HCCV technology minimizes operator intervention, fluctuations in temperature and exposure to the surrounding atmosphere. This results in an extremely consistent and high quality product every time. The HCCV also automates the cleaning process between batches.

Metzger used a pilot scale version of the HCCV that was identical to commercial-grade machines in every way except size. The prototype vat created for the research was about one-fifteenth as large as an industrial sized cheesemaking system.

As a result of the project's success, Cabot has installed two HCCV machines in a new room dedicated to cottage cheese production. Marcel Gravel, plant manager at Cabot Creamery, thinks that installing the new system has definitely improved their cottage cheese quality.

Innovations such as this could add to the popularity of a traditional dairy product and make it easier to meet demand. A generation ago, many U.S. dairy processors invested in new cottage cheese-making equipment and much of the open-vat technology is still in operation. The manufacturers are now in a place to decide what level of investment they would like to make in cottage cheese technology to meet current demand. The popularity of higher-protein foods has sparked a renewed interest in protein-rich cottage cheese, which is naturally low in carbohydrates and fat and is a good source of calcium.

“Healthy eating is driving interest in cottage cheese and dairy products in general right now,” says Metzger. “So I think cottage cheese is where yogurt was years ago, with the same opportunity to adjust its flavor profile and move in different directions to fit consumer desires.”

FDA Rule Change for Cheese

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a rule change that permits cheese manufacturers to fortify most cheese and cheese products with vitamin D 3 at a higher level than previously allowed. Enhancing cheese with the new allowable amount of vitamin D 3 permits many of these products to claim an “excellent” source of vitamin D on the label. Products covered by the regulation change are natural cheese, process cheese, cream cheese, and cheese spreads and dips. Cheeses not included are hard-grating cheeses with smaller reference amounts, such as Parmesan and Romano, and cheeses with larger reference amounts, such as cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.

Prior to the vitamin D rule change, milk products (including cheese and cheese products) could be fortified with vitamin D at levels up to 89 international units (IUs) per 100 grams. Under the new rule published in the Federal Register in November of last year, the maximum amount of vitamin D permitted in certain natural and processed cheeses has been raised to 81 IUs per 30 grams, which is nearly three times the former level.

The new standard permits processors to add vitamin D to a level just slightly above 20% of the Daily Value (DV). A product containing 10% to 19% of the DV of a nutrient per reference serving can claim on the label that it is a “good source” of the nutrient. A product containing 20% or more of the DV of a nutrient per reference serving is considered an “excellent source”.

Although vitamin D is important to good health, few Americans consume the recommended amounts. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has identified vitamin D as a “shortfall” vitamin in the elderly, in persons with dark skin, and in persons exposed to insufficient UVB radiation because these groups are at risk of being unable to maintain adequate vitamin D status. The current recommended intake of vitamin D is 200 IUs up to age 50, 400 IUs between the ages of 51 and 70, and 600 IUs after age 70. However, high-risk groups and possibly others may need substantially more than the current recommended intakes. Vitamin D is important to health because it helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, both critical for building bone.
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans consume three servings each day of lowfat or fat-free milk and milk products to boost intake of essential nutrients the body needs for good health, including calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A and D. Milk is typically fortified with vitamin D and also with vitamin A in lower-fat varieties.
The new FDA rule allowing for higher levels of vitamin D fortification in cheese and cheese products has given the dairy industry a viable option for further improving the nutritional status of its consumers, both young and old.

Milk and Functional Food Ingredients

The concept of functional foods is becoming more and more popular because an increasing number of consumers are getting the message that some food components and ingredients promote health. Dairy foods are viewed as a leading vehicle for delivering these functional components. Fiber and plant sterols, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotic cultures, etc. can be delivered to consumers via milk, yogurt and other dairy products. At the same time, consumers can also get a dose of all the healthy components that milk inherently has to offer, such as vitamins, minerals, whey proteins.