Ginseng fortified milk sounds like it may just work. While we are at
it we need to add cocoa powder also and please skip the sugar. That
way the customer retains control. Milk is certainly indicated for
individuals suffering from various nutritional deficiencies and that
typically includes the aged.
I also know that ginseng is valuable in stabilizing imbalances caused
by menopause (Chinese type at least) Other likely hormonal
imbalances may also be corrected.
Here they tackle the problem of how to make it all palatable.
The easiest way is to take a dried slice of ginseng and place it in
you mouth. It takes a few moments, but the ginseng will rehydrate
and mastication will then soften it and allow it to be well chewed
and consumed.
However, consuming it in milk product certainly has merit and can
make the product far more readily available.
Researchers develop
ginseng-fortified milk to improve cognitive function
by Staff Writers
Amsterdam, The Netherlands (SPX) Jul 25, 2012
American ginseng is
reported to have neurocognitive effects, and research has shown
benefits in aging, central nervous system disorders, and
neurodegenerative diseases. The challenges of incorporating ginseng
into food are twofold: it has a bitter taste, and food processing can
eliminate its healthful benefits.
Reporting
in the August issue of the Journal of Dairy Science, a group of
scientists has formulated low-lactosefunctional milk that maintained
beneficial levels of American ginseng after processing. An
exploratory study found the product was readily accepted by a niche
group of consumers.
"Our goal was to
develop low-lactose milk that could be consumed by the elderly to
improve cognitive function," reports lead investigator S.
Fiszman, PhD, of the Instituto de Agroquimica y Tecnologia de
Alimentos (IATA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas
(CSIC), Patema (Valencia), Spain. "Consumers who were interested
in the health benefits of ginseng rated our product quite highly."
Because
older people frequently have trouble digesting milk products,
the researchers developed a low-lactose formula. American ginseng was
added, and then the milk was sterilized by ultra-high temperature
processing (UHT), which prolongs shelf life. Analysis found that
sufficient levels of ginseng remained in the milk after treatment to
improve cognitive function as reported in the literature.
To reduce the bitter
taste of American ginseng, the investigators developed samples with
vanilla extract and sucralose, a zero-calorie artificial sweetener.
In a preliminary study, 10 tasters with a good ability to
discriminate between flavors compared low lactose UHT milk without
any additives (the control) to low lactose milk with ginseng extract,
vanilla aroma, and sucralose added before UHT treatment.
They developed a list
of 10 attributes that described the sample: color, sweet odor, milk
flavor, vanilla flavor, metallic/root flavor, sweetness, bitterness,
aftertaste, astringency, and viscosity.
They then rated the
intensity of each attribute for five samples; the control; the
control with ginseng extract, vanilla aroma, and sucralose added; the
control with ginseng extract added; the control with vanilla and
ginseng extract; and the low lactose milk with ginseng extract;
vanilla aroma; and sucralose added before UHT treatment.
In a second study, 100
participants were asked, on a scale of one to five, how willing they
would be to consume a "highly digestible semi-skimmed milk,"
and a "highly digestible semi-skimmed milk enriched with ginseng
extract that would improve cognitive function." Then, they
tasted and rated, on a scale of one to nine, the overall
acceptability of the control milk and the low lactose milk with
ginseng extract, vanilla aroma, and sucralose added before UHT
treatment.
Both the presence of
ginseng and the thermal treatment affected some sensory properties of
the milk. The addition of ginseng significantly increased the
perceived light brown color in the flavored and unflavored samples,
and was highest in the reduced-lactose milk with ingredients added
before the UHT treatment.
The sweet odor was
more intense in flavored samples, but decreased slightly in the
samples of milk with ingredients added before UHT treatment.
Bitterness was clearly perceived in the samples containing ginseng
additives, but was lower in flavored samples, indicating that the
vanilla aroma and sucralose masked, to some extent, the bitter taste
caused by ginseng extract.
Consumer responses
varied greatly, depending on interest in the product. 78% indicated
that they would be likely to consume the highly digestible milk, and
after tasting the product, 87% of them indicated they would buy the
sample. 47% indicated they were not interested in milk enriched with
ginseng, and after tasting, they gave it a low acceptability rating.
However, for the 32% of consumers who did express an interest in the
product, 75% declared they would buy it.
"Drinking 150 to
300 mL of this ginseng-enriched milk would provide the amount
indicated to be effective for improving cognitive functions. Combined
with the low levels of lactose, this makes the drink an appropriate
functional beverage for the elderly," says Dr. Fiszman.
"Among consumers
more likely to consume ginseng products, the newly developed milk was
well accepted. The addition of more congruent flavors such as
chocolate, citrus, or coffee, could be more effective in masking
non-milk-related sensory attributes, Other alternatives could be
investigated."
Commenting
on the studies, Susan Duncan, PhD, professor, Department of Food
Science and Technology, Virginia Tech, noted, "With the
combination of intrinsic health benefits in milk and these additional
ingredients, milk becomes an easy way to deliver valuable functional
ingredients and the functional benefits of milk components.
Diversifying the product line for milkand dairy products has
a number of benefits, including market and consumer visibility and
perception."
1 comment:
Ginseng Fortified milk improves cognitive function, which is good for our health.
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