Search Results (2,318)

Spontaneously fermented camel milk from Xinjiang is valued for its nutrition but faces quality inconsistency due to complex microbial ecosystems. This study investigated how regional microbial communities correlate with volatile flavor profiles. Nine samples from three distinct areas—Dabancheng, Hami, and Keping—were analyzed using bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS region amplicon sequencing combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF MS). Bacterial communities were dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, while Ascomycota and Basidiomycota prevailed among fungi. Dominant genera varied by region: Lactobacillus and Dekkera in Dabancheng; Lactobacillus and Dipodascus in Hami; Lactococcus and Cutaneotrichosporon in Keping. Flavor profiles also diverged, with Dabancheng being rich in esters, alcohols, and ketones; Hami featuring hydrocarbons and alcohols; and Keping containing elevated hydrocarbons, alcohols, and esters. Key statistical associations were identified: Lactobacillus, Rahnella, and Acetobacter were positively associated with propene and 3-decyn-2-ol (VIP > 1.0, |r| > 0.8), while Pseudomonas, Lactococcus, and Klebsiella showed negative correlations with vinyl n-caproate. These findings reveal statistical associations between geographic origin, specific microbial taxa, and flavor attributes, providing a scientific foundation that may inform future efforts toward developing targeted starter cultures pending microbial isolation and functional validation. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming dairy quality assessment by enabling rapid, non-destructive, and data-driven monitoring across the dairy supply chain. Conventional analytical methods, although accurate, are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and unsuitable for real-time applications. The integration of advanced sensing technologies with AI has therefore emerged as a promising approach for improving dairy quality control and food safety. This review examines recent advances in AI-enabled dairy quality assessment, covering spectroscopy-based sensing technologies, biomimetic sensing systems, machine vision, and multimodal data fusion. Particular attention is given to their applications in major dairy products, including raw milk, milk powder, cheese, and yogurt. Comparative analysis shows that AI-assisted sensing significantly enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and automation of compositional analysis, adulteration detection, microbial screening, freshness evaluation, and defect inspection, while multimodal approaches offer new opportunities for comprehensive quality assessment. The review further highlights the emerging role of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) in improving the transparency and trustworthiness of dairy detection systems. Recent advances in feature attribution, decision interpretation, and uncertainty quantification are discussed, together with challenges related to data scarcity, model generalization, cross-instrument transferability, and explainability evaluation. Future developments in multimodal foundation models, standardized datasets, and explainable intelligent systems are expected to accelerate the deployment of trustworthy and scalable dairy quality assurance frameworks. Full article

Background/Objectives: Goat milk is an important source of bioactive lipids, but information on the fatty acid (FA) profiles of indigenous Greek goat breeds under semi-extensive management remains limited. This study aimed to compare the milk FA composition and lipid health indices of Capra prisca, Skopelos, and crossbred goats in Thessaly, Greece, and to evaluate the effect of organic versus conventional semi-extensive production systems. Methods: Thirty bulk-tank milk samples were collected during spring 2025 from eight herds, comprising Capra prisca (n = 10), Skopelos (n = 10), and crossbred goats (n = 10), with 15 samples from each production system. Physicochemical characteristics were determined using an ultrasonic milk analyzer, while FA composition was analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC–FID). Lipid quality indices, including the Atherogenicity Index (AI) and Thrombogenicity Index (TI), were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed using two-way ANOVA with Benjamini–Hochberg adjustment. Results: Breed significantly affected several individual FAs but not total SFA, MUFA, or UFA concentrations. Capra prisca milk contained higher levels of C4:0, C18:0, and C18:3n6 (pBH ≤ 0.015), whereas Skopelos milk showed higher C16:0 and lower C18:2n6 isomers (pBH ≤ 0.046). Total PUFA and ω-6 concentrations were higher in Capra prisca and crossbred milk than in Skopelos milk (pBH ≤ 0.004). In contrast, total ω-3 concentrations and lipid health indices did not differ significantly among breeds or between production systems (AI = 2.5–2.7; TI = 3.0–3.3; PUFA/SFA = 0.06–0.07; pBH ≥ 0.192). Conclusions: Under semi-extensive management, breed was associated primarily with differences in individual FAs and total ω-6 PUFA concentrations, whereas overall lipid health indices were relatively stable. No significant differences were observed between organic and conventional production systems. These findings provide baseline information on the milk lipid composition of indigenous Greek goat breeds and support further investigation using larger, multi-season datasets. Full article

In this study, fermented, dried, salted Spanish mackerel (FDSSM) was prepared using a composite fermentation agent, and its flavor compounds, fermentation conditions, and preparation of a directed vat-set starter were investigated. The results showed that adding a combination of Lactobacillus sakei (LS), Pediococcus pentosaceus (PP), and Lactobacillus casei (LC) at a ratio of 1:1:1 yielded FDSSM with the best sensory quality. LS+PP+LC samples exhibited the highest 5′-IMP and HX content at 492.07 and 526.36 mg/100 g, respectively, and the lowest TBARS content at 0.76 mg/100 g. A total of 77 flavor compounds were detected across the five samples. The key flavor compounds in the FDSSM were 3-methylbutanal, n-hexanal, n-heptanal, n-octanal, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, and heptanol. The optimal fermentation conditions for FDSSM were a fermentation time of 5.5 h, a fermentation temperature of 28.5 °C, and a strain addition amount of 4%. The optimal composite protectant for the directed vat-set starter was 15% inulin, 5% gum arabic, 5% skim milk powder, and 5% sodium glutamate at a 1:1:1:5 ratio, yielding the highest microbial protection rate of 69.86 ± 0.23%. The optimal storage temperature for the directed vat-set starter was −20 °C. The viable bacterial count in starter cultures stored for 60 days exceeded 10⁹ CFU/g. The addition of a directed vat-set starter yielded FDSSM with superior sensory quality compared with mixed bacterial cultures. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the large-scale industrial production of FDSSM. Full article

Pediatric food allergy is an increasing public health challenge associated with severe allergic reactions, psychosocial burden, and healthcare inequalities. This study aimed to characterise molecular sensitisation patterns among Bulgarian children with suspected food allergy using component-resolved diagnostics and to evaluate family quality of life in a healthcare setting without access to epinephrine auto-injectors. A total of 1163 pediatric patients underwent molecular allergy testing using the ALEX² multiplex platform, while 90 caregivers completed structured quality-of-life questionnaires. A sensitisation threshold of >0.10 kUA/L was applied to maximise sensitivity for molecular profiling and co-sensitisation analyses. Tree nut allergens showed the highest sensitisation prevalence, predominantly involving Ana o 3, Pis v 1, Jug r 1, Cor a 9, and Cor a 14. Younger children showed a predominance of stable storage protein sensitisation, whereas older children more frequently demonstrated PR-10-associated cross-reactive profiles. Correlation analyses identified strong co-sensitisation clustering among phylogenetically related allergen families, particularly cashew-pistachio, walnut-hazelnut, mammalian milk, and fish allergens. Questionnaire responses revealed substantial psychosocial burden related to fear of anaphylaxis, chronic hypervigilance, restricted daily activities, and inadequate emergency preparedness. These findings highlight the importance of molecular risk stratification and underscore major unmet needs in pediatric food allergy management in Bulgaria. Full article

Although the development of fermented plant-based milk alternatives has become quite popular, the relatively low nutritional value and functional properties of these products present significant challenges. This situation is driving the search for alternative protein sources to improve the quality of plant-based products, and legume proteins are attracting attention as promising components. Accordingly, this study aimed to enrich oat-based vegan yogurt alternatives with different legume protein isolates and evaluate their effects on product quality. In the present study, physicochemical, microbiological, antioxidant capacity, FAA profile, peptide profile, and FTIR analyses were performed on vegan yogurts produced using oat milk as well as mung bean and black bean protein isolates. It was determined that different plant protein isolates used in vegan yogurt production had a statistically very significant (n = 2, p < 0.01) effect on dry matter, protein, pH, L. acidophilus, antioxidant capacity, and all FAA profiles except asparagine and aspartic acid. The addition of legume protein isolates to vegan yogurts contributed to an increase in dry matter content (11.57–14.14%), protein content (2.92–5.20%), ash content (0.22–0.32%), and pH value (4.49–4.59) compared to the control group. Similar effects were also observed in S. thermophilus count (5.79–6.38 log cfu/g), L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus count (5.72–6.43 log cfu/g), DPPH inhibition (10.29–19.93%), and ABTS inhibition (14.66–28.48%). It was determined that the addition of mung bean protein isolate (MBPI-2 and MBPI-4), compared to black bean protein isolate, contributed more to nutritional properties in vegan oat yogurt samples. Vegan yogurts were found to match more frequently with antioxidant, ACE inhibitor, DPP III, and DPP IV inhibitor activity in potential bioactivity predictions. FTIR analysis revealed that using different legume protein isolates in vegan yogurt production did not result in the formation of new absorption bands, but it did affect the intensity of existing regional bands. In conclusion, the addition of different legume protein isolates to oat yogurt was found to generally contribute positively to the parameters examined and represents a promising approach for individuals who cannot consume cow milk due to health problems, as well as for vegans. Full article

Dairy goats sustain milk production across marginal environments worldwide, yet genetic improvement of milk yield and composition remains slower than in cattle, constrained by smaller reference populations and limited functional validation. This review consolidates current evidence on the genes and polymorphisms governing milk production traits in dairy goats. Whole-genome resequencing and selection-signature scans repeatedly recover a lipogenic–somatotropic core (ACSS2, DGAT2, GHR, VPS13C, PRPF6), whereas genome-wide association studies (GWASs) confirm the casein cluster (CSN1S1, CSN1S2, CSN2, CSN3) as the most reproducible determinant of protein content and DGAT1 as the principal fat-content gene. Transcriptomic, single-cell, and metabolomic analyses, together with functional dissection in goat mammary epithelial cells, resolve the regulatory networks—SREBP1, PPARG, ELF5, and non-coding RNAs—that translate genotype into phenotype. Integrating multi-omic evidence with expanded, well-phenotyped populations is essential to convert this expanding catalog into precise marker-assisted and genomic selection for milk yield and quality. Full article

Background: White brined cheese represents one of the most important traditional fermented dairy products in Bulgaria. Its microbiological quality is commonly evaluated through the detection of foodborne pathogens; however, such an approach provides limited information regarding production hygiene and the natural microbial ecosystem of the product. Methods: The present study performed an integrated microbiological assessment of 100 Bulgarian white brined cow’s milk cheese samples (50 artisanal and 50 industrial) by simultaneously evaluating hygiene indicator microorganisms (Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci), major foodborne pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.), and the natural yeast microbiota using standardized ISO methods. Yeast species were identified by MALDI–TOF MS, and statistical analyses were performed using Fisher’s exact test and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and coagulase-positive staphylococci were not detected in any cheese sample. Escherichia coli was detected in only two samples (2.0%), with no significant difference between artisanal and industrial cheeses (p > 0.05). In contrast, yeasts were detected in 99% of the samples, and nine yeast taxa were identified. Significant differences in yeast species distribution were observed between production systems, with Torulaspora delbrueckii predominating in artisanal cheeses and Debaryomyces hansenii in industrial products (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results demonstrate that artisanal white brined cheese is not inherently associated with a higher microbiological risk when good manufacturing and hygienic practices are applied. More importantly, the study shows that combining foodborne pathogens, hygiene indicators, and indigenous yeast microbiota provides a substantially more comprehensive assessment of microbiological quality than pathogen detection alone, supporting an integrated concept for the evaluation of traditional fermented dairy products. Full article

Climate change is transforming heat stress (HS) from a seasonal challenge into a major constraint on the sustainability of dairy cattle production. Increasing temperatures, more frequent and prolonged heat waves, and reduced opportunities for nocturnal recovery adversely affect animal health, welfare, productivity, reproductive performance, and resource-use efficiency. This narrative review provides an integrated critical synthesis of current evidence on HS in dairy cattle within a sustainable development framework. It examines the biological mechanisms underlying disruption of homeostasis together with the consequences for milk production, product quality, health, welfare, reproduction, and developmental programming. The review further evaluates biomarkers of thermal adaptation, precision livestock farming, and environmental, nutritional, managerial, genetic, and technological mitigation strategies, considering their biological effectiveness, practical applicability, economic feasibility, and environmental trade-offs. Rather than addressing these components independently, the review integrates their interactions within an original conceptual framework and comparatively evaluates adaptation strategies to support practical decision-making. Current evidence indicates that sustainable climate adaptation requires integrated, context-specific approaches combining environmental management, nutrition, genetic improvement, precision monitoring, and digital technologies. Future progress will increasingly depend on advances in omics, artificial intelligence, and predictive livestock management to enhance climate resilience while improving productivity, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. Full article

An increase in flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegan consumers coupled with soaring egg prices post covid has increased demand in the food industry for alternative ingredients, including emulsifier products. Plant-derived emulsifiers, including chickpea aquafaba and oat proteins, can imitate egg protein techno-functional attributes like foam formation and emulsification properties. Oat milk proteins provide less protein than soy or dairy and, as they are carbohydrate rich, can cause rapid blood sugar spikes. More alternative emulsifiers are required. This work describes the development of a red seaweed Chondrus crispus Stakehouse emulsifier ingredient applied in a vegan fairy cake recipe. The techno-functional attributes of the developed C. crispus hydrolysate were assessed using in vitro assays, and a prototype vegan fairy cake was made using the generated hydrolysate as an emulsifier. Product proximate qualities including protein, ash, and lipid content were compared to those of a traditionally made fairy cake. Results suggest that hydrolysis of C. crispus enables the extraction of 17.37% of available protein and makes the application of C. crispus in food products more attractive by improving emulsification properties. Moreover, novel bioactive peptides with sequences GIPDEWMGL, VLPSLPFM, GGPAGGGPAGGDAGLA, and AQVPPLPNMPRMPA were characterized and were shown to have in silico anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic potential activities. Full article

This study evaluates the impact of plant-derived additives (Melissa officinalis L., Plantago major L., and Inula helenium L.) on the physicochemical, microbiological, and antimicrobial properties of yoghurt formulated with a combined base of milk and buttermilk concentrate (solid content 8–10%). Over 14 days of refrigerated storage, all fortified yoghurts maintained pH within acceptable limits, while Plantago and Inula slightly enhanced post-acidification without compromising quality. Notably, the buttermilk concentrate significantly boosted initial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) viability, and the yoghurt with Plantago major L. extract showed a 314% higher viable LAB count during storage compared with the control. In contrast, Inula helenium L. reduced LAB viability by 67.6%, indicating a trade-off between bioactivity and starter compatibility. Antimicrobial testing via disk-diffusion revealed selective activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (maximum inhibition radius: 5.8 ± 0.5 mm for Plantago yoghurt), with no effect on Gram-negative E. coli or P. aeruginosa. Activity was driven primarily by acid-dependent metabolites, with Plantago retaining residual non-acidic bioactivity after neutralization. The combination of Plantago major L. with buttermilk concentrate emerged as optimal for functional yoghurt, enhancing higher viability of lactic acid bacteria during refrigerated storage. These findings support the use of compatible plant–dairy combinations to develop yoghurt products with improved physicochemical properties, LAB viability and microbiological stability under the tested conditions. Full article

Objective: To investigate the effect of milk minerals on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone quality in growing rats and explore the underlying mechanisms related to calcium absorption, bone metabolism, and the gut–bone axis. Methods: Sixty healthy 4-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided to five groups based on their body weight: Low-Calcium Control Group (Control), Low-Dose milk mineral Group (Low), Medium-Dose milk mineral Group (Medium), High-Dose milk mineral Group (High) and Calcium Carbonate Control Group (CaCO₃), which received the same dose level (elemental calcium) as the High group. The milk mineral dosage was set at 5, 10, and 15 times the human recommended intake of elemental calcium. After 12 weeks of intervention, femurs were collected for analysis of BMD, bone microstructure, and bone mechanical strength. Additionally, analyses included calcium levels in the femur, feces, and diet; serum bone metabolism biomarkers; tissue protein expression; as well as gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid content. Result: Milk mineral exhibited non-inferior efficacy to CaCO₃ in increasing femoral calcium content, enhancing BMD, and improving bone microarchitecture. Notably, the Medium group achieved comparable bone-protective effects to the CaCO₃ group despite a 20.8% lower calcium content, which was accompanied by a relatively high calcium absorption rate (90.9% vs. 86.5%). With respect to serum markers, milk mineral maintained bone formation while suppressing bone resorption, resulting in a net anabolic state comparable to that of CaCO₃. Milk mineral significantly upregulated the protein expression of renal CYP27B1 and intestinal calcium ion transporters, and increased serum IGF-I levels. Furthermore, milk mineral promoted the enrichment of certain specific gut microbial genera, which showed a significant positive correlation with IGF-I, bone calcium content and BMD. Conclusions: Milk mineral supplementation appears to promote bone formation and mineralization in growing rats, accompanied by enhanced intestinal calcium absorption, enrichment of characteristic gut microbes and elevated microbial metabolite concentrations. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of precision dietary crude protein (CP) reduction through corn dust substitution for soybean meal on lactational performance, milk fatty acid composition, and antioxidant status in mid-lactation dairy cows. Six Holstein Friesian cows were assigned to a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with three 28-day periods and fed total mixed rations containing 17.40% (TMR17), 16.29% (TMR16), or 15.18% CP (TMR15). Forage was maintained at 40% of dietary dry matter. Dry matter intake and plasma metabolites were unaffected by dietary treatment (p > 0.05). However, apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein declined significantly (p < 0.05), while acid detergent fiber digestibility showed a linear downward tendency (p = 0.06). Actual milk yield, lactose yield, and solids-not-fat (SNF) yield were unaffected by treatments (p > 0.05), but milk protein percentage decreased linearly (p = 0.01) as dietary CP declined. Body weight change also tended to decline (p = 0.09), suggestive of possible increased body reserve mobilization, although this was not confirmed with body condition score or direct metabolic indicators. Milk urea nitrogen decreased linearly (p = 0.05), which suggested improved nitrogen utilization. Plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, GSH-Px activity, and total antioxidant capacity were not significantly modified (p > 0.05); however, plasma DPPH radical scavenging capacity increased linearly with higher protein levels (p = 0.01; Trt: p = 0.02). Conversely, TMR15 improved milk lipid quality by significantly increasing monounsaturated fatty acids (p = 0.03; Trt: p = 0.05), particularly oleic acid (p = 0.05), whereas total saturated fatty acids remained unchanged (p = 0.55). Overall, reducing dietary CP improved MUFA proportions and nitrogen efficiency but decreased milk protein percentage and plasma DPPH antioxidant protection, highlighting a trade-off between production performance, animal health, and milk quality. Full article

Goat milk composition is an important determinant of the nutritional, technological, and economic value of dairy products and is influenced by feeding management. This study examined the associations between feeding practices implemented during different lactation stages and goat milk quality, expressed as a latent construct comprising fat, protein, lactose, and solids-not-fat, in semi-intensive dairy goat farms in Northern Greece. Data were collected from 242 commercial farms through milk sampling and a structured questionnaire on feeding management, animal characteristics, and farm practices. Associations between feeding practices and milk quality were evaluated using structural equation modeling. The final model showed satisfactory fit and explained 46.6% of the variance in the latent milk-quality construct. Moderate concentrate supplementation (300–500 g/day) during mid and late lactation showed the strongest positive association with milk quality, followed by grass–legume hay, protein concentrate supplementation, dairy mixes containing vitamins and minerals, pasture intake of 3–4 kg/day, and goat balancer use. Annual milk yield was negatively associated with milk quality, whereas goat age showed a positive association. These findings indicate that lactation-stage-specific feeding management emphasizing moderate concentrate supplementation and high-quality forage is associated with improved milk composition and may help optimize feeding strategies in semi-intensive dairy goat systems. Full article

Genomic selection (GS) provides an effective approach to accelerating genetic gain in dairy goats, but the prediction performance is strongly influenced by the statistical model, marker density, phenotype adjustment strategy, and biological architecture of the target trait. In this study, dairy goat populations comprising Xinong Saanen and Saanen dairy goats from major production regions in China were used to evaluate genomic prediction for milk yield (MY), milk fat percentage (MFP), and milk protein percentage (MPP). Genotypes from 1034 dairy goats were generated using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (lcWGS), imputed to improve genotype completeness and accuracy; a high-quality chip-based dataset was also constructed from previously developed 25K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip loci. Conventional genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) models, Bayesian regression models, and machine learning algorithms were compared using 10-fold cross-validation. Bayesian models showed clear trait-specific advantages, with BayesB improving MFP prediction by approximately 12.9% relative to GBLUP under the 25K chip-based strategy. Among machine learning methods, gradient boosting models performed strongly; extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) improved the prediction accuracy for MY, MFP, and MPP by 14.3%, 17.9%, and 18.5%, respectively, relative to GBLUP under the chip-based strategy. Incorporating genome-wide association study (GWAS)-derived prior information and selection signature priors further improved the prediction accuracy, particularly for milk composition traits. Overall, the results indicate that genomic prediction in dairy goats can be optimized by matching models, genotyping platforms, and prior biological information to the genetic characteristics of the target trait. Full article