Center for Dairy Research Annual Report 1990-1991

Abstract

The research and information/technology transfer activities of the Center for Dairy Research (CDR),which were initiated in 1986,were designed as multi-disciplinary programs to address specific needs in four focus areas: milk component utilization, cheese technology, food safety, and process and product development. It is impossible to trace or verify the use of all the CDR research outputs, but some examples of CDR research that have been adopted or evaluated by the dairy industry are:

1. techniques developed in cooperation with Land a Lakes to minimize calcium lactate crystallization on cheese,

2.development of Wisconsin Style Havarti? cheese, which is being manufactured and marketed commercially,

3.development of whey fermentation techniques to produce two unique polysaccharides (gums) that have potential food and non-food uses,

4. development of lactic add bacterial strains that produce only L-Iacticadd, a key ingredient in the emerging biodegradable plastics industry,

5. building a basis for industrial quality-control practices by determining the effects of environmental factors on survival of Listeria monocytogenes in milkclotting enzyme preparations,

6. developing technologies being utilized by cheese manufacturers and culture supply houses for manufacturing lowfat cheeses and determining the factors that effect flavor quality of lowfat and low-sodium cheeses,

7.computer programs that have been or are being used by the cheese industry to evaluate economics of milk standardization and cheese manufacturing. The research program summarized in this report describes the continuation of our efforts in our four focus areas.

Accomplishments in each of the areas are summarized preceding the project reports. The activities of CDR's Worldwide Information and Technology Exchange Program (WITEP) illustrates our commitment to communicating the information/ technology generated by the research program to the dairy industry.

The research and the information/technology transfer functions outlined in this report result from financial and technical support from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, input from industry advisors, careful planning by CDR committees and researchers, and, most importantly, the creativity and dedication of the researchers and the WITEP and administrative staff. We invite your comments and suggestions to further improve our programs.