Milk, nutrient loss, during

Table V. Loss of Nutrients in Milk During Processing...

Cheese contains a high concentration of essential nutrients relative to its energy content. Its precise nutrient content is influenced by the type of milk used (species, stage of lactation, whole fat, lowfat, skim), method of manufacture, and to a lesser extent the degree of ripening. As outlined in detail elsewhere in this review, water-insoluble nutrients of milk (casein, colloidal minerals, fat, and fat-soluble vitamins) are retained in the cheese curd whereas the water-soluble constituents (whey proteins, lactose, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals) partition into the whey. However, loss of water-soluble B vitamins in whey may be compensated to a certain extent by microbial synthesis during ripening (Renner, 1987). 

Human milk from well-nourished women is relatively high in ascorbic acid, but it varies with the mother s dietary intake of the nutrient During lactation, a daily loss of 25 to 45 mg of vitamin C may occur in the secretion of 850 ml of milk. So, for lactating women, an additional allowance of 35 mg/day of vitamin C is recommended for the first six months in order to assure a satisfactory level of the vitamin in breast milk. 

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