A Cluster Project Approach to Develop New Functional Dairy Products from Sheep and Goat Milk

Abstract

The growing scientific interest in the role of food in promoting human health and wellbeing has profoundly influenced consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards nutrition, leading to the advent of a new class of foods, called functional foods, which are currently one of the fastest growing food-producing sectors, particularly in the dairy industry. The cluster project “Diversification in sheep & goat Sardinian dairy production” was built and carried out, based on requests from ten Sardinian dairy companies, to plan and implement experimental protocols directed to develop new production processes, according to the latest health and nutritional guidelines. Consequently, the following different interconnected research lines were developed: lactose-free dairy products; low-fat dairy products; dairy products enriched with added functional ingredients. The studied processes were based on the modification of cheese milk or whey, through the elimination of or reduction in one or more components with negative health effects or by adding functional ingredients. Therefore, a total of six different dairy products were developed: two from sheep milk and whey and four from goat milk. The technological processes adopted were typically those of Ricotta, fresh and soft cheeses. Contextually, their adaptability to the industrial equipment available in the cluster dairy companies was verified, and most of them were successfully transferred. These novel dairy products meet the current market demand, which shows a greater interest in fresh and short-ripened dairy products, with a low energy intake and high nutritional value. Moreover, can represent an example of the diversification in the sheep and goat dairy sector.