Fortified milk looks like regular milk and maintains acceptable flavour, texture and shelf life
Healthier milk enriched with calcium and minerals
CSIRO has developed extra-high calcium milk that contains around 70 per cent more calcium than regular milk.
-
2 November 2007 | Updated 10 January 2013
Extra-high calcium milk developed by scientists at CSIRO, could have a major impact on preventing bone diseases such as osteoporosis and improving the general health of children, growing adolescents, adults and the elderly.
The achievement
CSIRO's researchers have developed and patented a new, low-cost technology for manufacturing calcium-fortified dairy products containing around 70 per cent more calcium than regular fresh milk.
The technology can lift calcium levels in white milk to around 200 mg/100 mL. This enables adults to achieve their recommended daily calcium intake by consuming less than two glasses of fortified milk.
CSIRO's scientists capitalised on milk’s natural calcium-carrying ability, altering the interaction between calcium and other components to stabilise the milk proteins.
The high-calcium milk enables adults to achieve their recommended daily calcium intake from less than two glasses of the fortified milk.
This technology can also be adapted to increase the levels of other minerals, boosting the health and nutritional benefits of the milk.
The technology is applicable to both fresh and recombined (reconstituted from powder) dairy products, which may be calcium-fortified to high levels whilst maintaining acceptable flavour, texture and shelf life.
Scientists involved
The project involved:
Dr Roderick Williams is a Research Scientist at CSIRO. He obtained a Bachelor of Science with Honours in 1985 from Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria. He obtained his doctorate in 1988 from the same university, studying the physical biochemistry of complex macromolecules.
Dr Williams specialises in the physical properties of foods and the molecular basis of food functionality.
Professor Mary Ann Augustin holds a Bachelor of Science with first class honours and a doctorate in chemistry from Monash University.
She was appointed Professor in Chemistry at the School of Chemistry at Monash University to lead its expanding Food Chemistry Group.
Professor Augustin’s appointment is part of a special collaboration between CSIRO and Monash University, which recognises a need to grow Australia’s national capabilities in food chemistry, including dairy chemistry.
Collaborators
This research was jointly funded by:
Find out more about CSIRO Food & Nutritional Sciences.
Share this CSIRO content using:
