36.3 Valorization of Buttermilk

559

a steady supply of taurine and, in turn, ensure longevity and delay aging [6]. The

bioactive principals of buttermilk proteins are known to exert functional character-

istics, such as antibacterial effect including some pathogens. These proteins are also

known to be beneficial in autoimmune conditions e.g. autism and multiple sclero-

sis. Buttermilk is an alternate option for lactose-intolerant people who are not able

to consume milk; it also acts as a digestive aid. The low-fat buttermilk is known to

have around 28% calcium. Hence, consumption of 500 ml of buttermilk would be

able to fulfill the calcium requirement by the human body, which requires 1000 mg

of calcium per day [7].

36.3.1

Buttermilk as an Ingredient in Food and Dairy Products

Buttermilk, due to its composition and functional attributes, instead of being drained

as a waste stream of cream/butter processing, can be effectively valorized as an ingre-

dient in other process lines within the dairy and food industry. A brief description

of the various options in this regard is as follows.

36.3.1.1

Market Milk

Sweet cream buttermilk (SCBM) can be mixed with whole milk for supplementing

the volume of fluid milk in a processing plant. It can also be mixed with skim milk

for the purpose of drying. The addition of buttermilk does not affect the shelf life

or heat stability when used for toning milk such as buffalo milk. In case of such

attempts, it has been found to be palatable, improve the viscosity, and also reduce

the curd tension [8].

36.3.1.2

Dahi

SCBM can be incorporated into whole milk for preparation of curd. Such supple-

mentation of the fermentation medium may result in softer-bodied curd. This is

attributed to the altered electrical charge on the casein micelles during the process of

churning and due to the availability of other MFGM materials, phospholipids, and

free fat in buttermilk [9]. In such an eventuality, the body and texture of dahi pre-

pared from SCBM can be improved with the addition of 1–2% of skim milk powder

(SMP).

36.3.1.3

Yoghurt

Thick body and texture of yoghurt are obtained when the solids content of the milk

is increased to 14–16 g/100 g [10]. One of the approaches to achieve this level of

solids is concentration of milk by boiling to 2/3rd of its original volume. Another

method practiced by the industry is addition of SMP in the yoghurt milk. An alter-

nate approach for this could be using buttermilk powder instead of SMP. Low-fat

yoghurts prepared by incorporating buttermilk powder (at about 4.8%) exhibited

smooth body and texture [11]. Ahmed and Razig [10] prepared acceptable quality

supplemented yoghurt milk by using buttermilk, fresh milk, and SMP.