Whey and buttermilk are the main by-products of the dairy industry, both having excellent nutritional properties. Buttermilk contains a unique component, the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). MFGM contains bioactive compounds with positive health effects like antitumour or cholesterol-lowering impact. Whey proteins are found in whey and are a source of bioactive peptides acting positively on coronary, gastrointestinal, immune and nervous systems. Yet, buttermilk and whey are insufficiently utilized in functional food production. Various technological solutions have been studied in order to increase the production of foods based on whey and/or buttermilk whereby the production of beverages appear to be most acceptable from the economic and technological point of view. Thus, the aim of this paper is to give an overview of current knowledge about the possibilities of creating whey and/or buttermilk beverages.

The aim of this paper is to determine nutritive, functional, microbiological and sensory properties of probiotic beverages produced from different volume ratios of cow's milk and soy beverage (25:75, 50:50 and 75:25). Pure cow’s milk and soy beverage served as control samples. Fermentation was performed at 43 °C by a combined culture consisting of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and yoghurt culture. Viable counts of La5 strain in the produced beverages ranged from 7.52 to 8.20 log CFU/mL, which is above the probiotic minimum (106 CFU/mL). Lactic acid was the most prevalent organic acid in all samples (660.1 to 1003.0 mg/100 mL). The fatty acid profiles of fermented beverages were as follows: the mass fraction of saturated fatty acids was 22.2–82.7 %, of unsaturated fatty acids 22.3–77.8 % and of polyunsaturated fatty acids 15.5–65.9 %. The main soy sugars were transformed well (80 % stachyose and 50 % raffinose conversion) into lactic acid during fermentation. Functional probiotic beverages were successfully produced from different volume ratios of cow's milk and soy beverage by L. acidophilus La5 and yoghurt culture. Mixing cow's milk with soy beverage significantly improved the sensory properties of the product, especially its smell, taste and colour. The acceptability test showed good acceptance by potential consumers of all fermented beverage samples except for the sample made from 100 % soy beverage. In the end, the obtained results represent a good basis for optimisation of the ideal volume ratios of cow's milk and soy beverage for production of fermented beverages characterised by good viability of probiotic bacteria as well as by good functional, nutritive and sensory characteristics.

Packaging of dairy products develops continuously along with advances in material technologies, which are in turn a response to demands of consumers. This article aimed to give an overview of currently available dairy packaging systems. Novel dairy packaging systems include new packaging technologies such as the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) that is widely used nowadays, especially for dairy product like cheese. Application of edible packaging could significantly reduce the costs of cheese packaging by reducing the amount of usually required packaging material. Nanomaterials and active packaging might be useful for extending the shelf life of dairy products by reducing material permeability or negative sensory characteristics of batch processing. Forms of active packaging relevant to dairy foods include oxygen scavenging, carbon dioxide absorbers, moisture and/or flavour/odour taints absorbers; releasing compounds (carbon dioxide, ethanol, antioxidants and/or other preservatives); maintaining temperature control and/or compensating temperature changes and antimicrobial packaging. Antimicrobial packaging is gaining interest from packaging scientists and industry due to its potential for providing quality and their safety benefits. The greatest challenge from the ecological point of view is biodegradable packaging. The main challenges for low waste materials are the durability of the packaging correlated with product shelf life as well as the ecological perspective.

Background: Fermented dairy products are known for their many positive effects on human health and are consumed worldwide. The supplementation of food with plant extracts as sources of valuable nutritional compounds has recently gained a lot of attention. Milk and fermented products are deficient in bioactive components such as phenolic compounds and iron. Moringa oleifera leaf extract is rich in vitamins, minerals (iron), polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins and proteins. Its addition to milk before fermentation might represent an excellent way to enrich fermented milk products. Methods: Yoghurts enriched with moringa extract (ME) (1, 3 and 4-%, v/v) were produced and compared to a control yoghurt without ME. In all samples, acidity, microbiological parameters, syneresis and water holding capacity, rheology parameters, total colour difference, mineral content, total phenols and antioxidant capacity (FRAP method) and sensory properties were determined. Results: The addition of ME to milk before fermentation resulted in a shorter fermentation time, lower yoghurt pH, increased growth of yoghurt bacteria, better rheological properties and an increased total phenols content as well as antioxidant capacity of yoghurts. Moreover, yoghurts with ME addition had a higher mineral content and gained a better sensory score when compared to the control sample.

Background: Yoghurt has been traditionally consumed for its high nutritional value and health-promoting benefits. The addition of plant extracts as a source of phenolic compounds and bio-flavonoids has attracted much attention recently since milk and dairy products are deficient in these health-protecting components. Accordingly, olive leaf extract (OLE) has been considered due to the presence of bioactive compounds, primarily polyphenols. Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the possibility of adding OLE into cow milk yoghurt as a potential functional ingredient. Methods: Yoghurts enriched with OLE (1.5, 3, and 5% v/v) were produced and compared with yoghurt without OLE. In all samples acidity, viscosity, colour, syneresis, water holding capacity (WHC), microbiological parameters, sensory properties, total phenols, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP methods) were determined. Results: The addition of OLE resulted in shorter fermentation and lower pH, but it had no adverse effect on the viability of yoghurt starter bacteria. OLE-enriched yoghurts showed increased syneresis, higher total phenols content, and antioxidant activity, while WHC and viscosity decreased. Sensory properties were slightly poorer for yoghurts containing higher OLE concentrations. Considering all of the obtained results, the addition of 1.5% OLE appeared to be optimal.