The natural environmental conditions in Switzerland are not in favor of an adequate selenium supply to humans and animals. However, the results of different studies (food, blood serum) demonstrate a sufficient selenium status of the population. The reasons are selenium-rich wheat imported from North-America as well as the supplementation of feeds for domestic animals. It…
Sugar content and firmness are two important factors determining eating quality of apples. Sensory analysis with a trained panel confirmed that sweetness, sourness, fruitiness and firmness can be predicted by instrumental measurements such as total soluble solids (refractometer), titratable acidity and firmness measurements by penetrometer. Tests with consumers indicated that Golden Delicious of acceptable eating…
Pasteurized cream with 260, 290, 320 and 350 g/kg fat content was treated by high pressure in the range between 300 and 800 MPa. Whipping properties of cream with fat content < 320 g/kg was better after pressurization. The whipping time was 15 to 25 % shorter and loss of serum was lower. This is…
Switzerland is not exempted from the proliferation of labels in the beef industry. The possible effects on beef quality of the specific norms which have been elaborated by the label organisations are discussed in this review. The quality of the final product depends not only on the way the animals are fattened, it depends even…
Meat quality is the result of complex effects, which depend on many factors, primarily the location of the muscle in the body, but also on sex, breed, nutrition, growth rate, age at slaughter, fatness and carcass conformation. The literature on the subject of the various influencing factors is reviewed, and their impact on bovine meat…
The conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) represent a group of natural isomers which are derived from linoleic acid. Because of their unique characteristics they exert chemical and physiological effects on the organism which differ from those of linoleic acid. In animal models as well as in in vitro models using tumour cells of human origin, they…
In Switzerland the amount of hard cheeses spoilt by butyric acid fermentation increased in the last years distinctly. Two main reasons are discussed: higher counts of spores of Clostridium tyrobutyricum in milk or better conditions for germination and growth in cheese. Cheese-making trials allowed to show, that high cooking temperatures in the manufacturing process can…
There are approximately 20 viruses which might be transmitted to humans by contaminated milk or milk products. Among them are milk borne viruses and enteric viruses which could contaminate milk products through process water during manufacture. Because of the lack of relevant data it is very difficult to assess the risk for consumers health. But…
Contamination of milk with spores of Clostridium tyrobutyricum is causing late blowing in hard and semi-hard cheese. The microfiltration at 12°C and 40°C reduced the count of spores efficiently making it possible to manufacture cheese of good quality from silage milk with initially high spore contamination. The mass balance showed that microfiltration at 12°C resulted…
“It is planned to cultivate suitable chestnut varieties for commercial use in the Ticino region of Switzerland. Quality analysis were carried out on five native chestnut varieties and the results compared with a commercial variety. With the exception of “”Pinca”” the fruit size of the native varieties was significantly smaller than that of the imported…
The belief that in human consumption of milk produces more mucus is widespread. After Australian studies, some parameters of mucus production changed after consumption of milk. But these effects are not specific for milk because a non-cow’s milk drink with similar sensory characteristics caused the same changes. Individuals who believe it have more respiratory symptoms.…
The Fourth Swiss Report on Nutrition contains as the Second and the Third of these Reports several statements about the nutritional significance of milk and dairy products. These concern regional differences in the nutrition behaviour the nutrition of some population groups and consumer knowledge about milk and dairy products in nutrition.
The Fourth Swiss Report on Nutrition examines as the Second and the Third of these Reports the nutritional situation and state of the Swiss population. The present review resumes the information available on the consumption of foods from animal origin and their significance on our nutrition as well as on some toxicological and microbiological aspects.
Since 1986, the FAM offers to the consultant services the possibility to have phages analysed. Methods used for this purpose have been optimised and are, since 1994, integrated in an accredited field. Our experiments have shown that phages participate in most of the starter acidification failures. Although phages have to be tolerated in dairy factories,…
This study compares the specificity and characteristics of two Swiss hard (Gruyère) cheese varieties manufactured at different altitudes: i) L’Etivaz cheese manufactured at L’Etivaz with 2 production sites (L’Etivaz 1 & I’Etivaz 2, 1300-2100 m), ii) Gruyère cheese manufactured Montbovon (1000 m) and at Grangeneuve/Posieux (600 m). These four production sites were studied during the…
A daily supply of 800 to 1200 mg Calcium in adolescence is crucial to prevent osteoporosis in the adult. Vegetarians are dependent on calcium rich vegetables. Recent research data indicate that the bioavailability of calcium from broccoli and kale is almost identical to that of milk. In our experiments broccoli and kale were grown in…
Propionibacteria are playing a key role in the lipolysis of Swiss-type cheeses. The statistical evaluation of datas collected from 30 commercial Emmental cheeses produced with two different propionibacteria cultures allowed to show, that lipolysis increases the intensity of the flavour. It was concluded that the weaker lipolysis in the cheeses with one of the two…
The statistical evaluation of datas collected from 30 commercial Emmental cheeses showed, that the deamination of aspartate to succinate by propionibacteria (aspartate metabolism) increases the risk of late fermentation in Swiss-type cheeses. It is not only the additional carbondioxide which is released during aspartate metabolism which reduces the potential time of storage, but it is…