First of all, the main nutrients of drinking milk have been popularized. Are there any other nutritional benefits?

As for the health benefits of milk, friends who often read popular science must have their ears almost scratched out - the nutrients of milk are very intuitive. For example, the rich and easy-to-absorb calcium has made milk almost a "national calcium supplement drink". This is not only because the calcium itself is mostly in the free state or casein chelated state, but also its calcium-phosphorus ratio is very good, very close to Human bones use the golden ratio of calcium and phosphorus of 2:1 (the calcium to phosphorus ratio of milk is about 1.3:1), so it occupies a pivotal position in the "calcium supplement industry".

The protein it contains has a high utilization rate (biological value), which is why dietary guidelines and nutrition workers recommend milk to everyone as a daily supplement of high-quality protein. But other than that, not many people know the other "detailed nutrients" of milk. In fact, there is a very precious type of "bioactive nutrients" in the milk of mammals, such as the most common cow's milk, goat's milk, and of course human breast milk. The main reason why there is such a small amount of nutrients with great health effects[1] is that the milk of these mammals is used to help the growth and development of their young, so the nutrients they contain are actually far more than what is listed in the ingredient list. Get those!

This popular science article will focus on revealing to you what the "bioactive nutrients" in milk are, and how they play a role in human health? The "bioactive nutrients" that are easily overlooked are precious

What are the "bioactive nutrients" in breast milk? That is the precious nutrients that milk serves as the first golden food for animal babies to protect them. The most famous among them are "immunoglobulins" (such as IgA) and "lactoferrin".

Immunoglobulins are good helpers for immunity:

To put it bluntly, immunoglobulins are immune helpers secreted by the mother. They can enter the body of the cub through milk to help the cub. Enhance acquired immunity. Fresh milk is no exception and contains this immunoactive protein.

Lactoferrin - also a precious nutrient in breast milk

Just hearing the name seems like it can effectively supplement iron? Yes, it is indeed a protein that participates in iron transport and can efficiently supplement iron. But at the same time, it also has multiple functions such as antibacterial [2] and auxiliary immunity [3] - it has been used in many infant and young child foods with advanced formulas to assist baby's immunity. Fresh milk actually contains natural lactoferrin, so drinking milk (note that it needs to be fresh milk) can actually obtain nutritional advantages in this regard. This is why you cannot blindly think that milk can be easily supplemented by other proteins that contain protein. food instead.

In addition, there are some special ingredients, such as the enzyme in milk-lactoperoxidase, which is a heme protein present in milk and its main function is one of the components of the antibacterial system. 1; In particular, it can "cooperate" with the above-mentioned lactoferrin to strengthen this protective effect [4], and it is also an important component of active nutrients. How to maximize the preservation of "bioactive nutrients"

If you want to preserve the above-mentioned "bioactive nutrients" as much as possible, you must know what they fear most, and that is temperature. Yes, because dairy is an excellent nutritional liquid, it is also very susceptible to the growth of microorganisms that undermine its food safety. Therefore, if you want to enjoy milk with peace of mind, it is inevitable to undergo "heat treatment". Currently, there are two main types of heat treatments on the market: pasteurization and ultra-high temperature sterilization. The temperature of the former is relatively low, so it kills pathogenic bacteria, so it still needs to be stored at low temperature and has a shelf life of only 5-10 days. The latter is theoretically "completely sterilized" because it has experienced ultra-high temperatures (over 130°C), so the shelf life can easily reach room temperature for several months. How to choose products rich in these precious nutrients

So after looking at the comparison of nutrients in different milks above, you will know that although commercial milks are similar in terms of common nutrients, if you want to get the "fresh" ones by drinking milk Well-known precious nutrients

Tips for choosing truly pasteurized milk:

1. Check the shelf life: Pasteurized milk will have a shelf life of no more than 10 days.

2. Look at the national standards that the product implements: Remember the table above, the first item is the national standard number!

3. Look at the packaging label: Remember to look for the word "fresh milk". If it is high-temperature sterilized milk, it can only be labeled "pure milk" and not "fresh"

This higher retention rate is mainly attributed to the pasteurization method of Guangming Youbei - 75°C, 15 seconds. This is the "gold standard" that takes into account both time and temperature, because pasteurization is not completely consistent; in fact, There are also variations that are over 60 degrees but last for half a minute, or over 90 degrees but only take less than 10 seconds. They can meet different product needs.

Obviously, in order to retain as many active nutrients as possible in fresh milk, the pasteurization method of Guangming's product is very reasonable; and Guangming's superior series of fresh milk also has "skim" and "low-fat" Different products such as "Strong and Rich" can meet the needs of different groups of people for high-quality fresh milk. It is recommended that consumers and children who have high requirements for the taste of milk can choose concentrated/full-fat milk, while those who control total calories can choose low-fat and skim products as appropriate, so that they can still obtain fresh "active nutrients".

The biggest significance of such additional advantageous nutrients is that for qualified consumers, drinking a glass of active milk to obtain higher health benefits will be a better choice - after all, we consume daily The food and calories we eat are limited, so continuously and meticulously optimizing every calorie is actually a smart approach to "nutrition upgrade" that we are currently pursuing. Especially in an environment where the epidemic is still worrying, a cup of milk that can support our immunity is indeed It is very worth drinking.