[MTC Global] Prolonged boiling of milk leads to nutrition loss- A Tribune Article of 01 Sep

Dear friends,

Good morning.

A useful article on milk.

 

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Prolonged boiling of milk leads to nutrition loss: Experts
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Lonavala (Pune), August 31
If you thought boiling milk and boiling it repeatedly helps reduce its germ load and raise its nutrition value, think again.

Leading paediatricians and clinical nutritionists across the country say boiling milk at temperatures above 100° C over 15 minutes (routine in Indian homes) robs milk of around 70 per cent of its basic nutrients such as vitamins and proteins which don't then reach the child consuming the milk.

While milk proteins are deformed and denatured when milk is heated to the boiling point, Vitamin D and B12 which aid calcium absorption are destroyed, both these vitamins being extremely heat sensitive. Contrast this to the fact that 80 pc of child's growth potential is achieved in the first two years of life when milk is the critical source of nutrition.

Even then, around half of Indian mothers continue to boil milk not just once but thrice daily thinking they are actually improving its nutrition value and increasing its shelf life.

"While the latter might be true to an extent, but the fact is milk would have lost so much value by the time it has been heated thrice that there is hardly any point keeping it on the shelf. All its water soluble vitamins would be gone so also fat soluble vitamins. Any amount of heating of milk will do it tremendous harm. Milk should never be heated to boiling point even once. If at all, it can be heated for three minutes," Dr Kalpesh Date, a leading pediatrician and neonatologist based in Mumbai today told The Tribune on the sidelines of the Third National Health Writers and Editors Convention organised by the HEAL Foundation at Amby Valley City here.

Dr Date said there was ample field evidence to suggest heating and reheating of milk was causing severe nutrition loss in children. He said pasteurized milk need not be heated and at the most it should be heated for three to four minutes.

"Already some amount of heating during pasteurization process has caused some nutrition loss in milk. The rest is done at home," Dr Date said following a dedicated session at the convention around milk safety and nutrition concerns.

The ground situation is however opposite. A recent Indian Medical Association study on 3,000 mothers aged 25 to 40 years across 10 urban centres, including the four metros, showed that 49 pc consumers were boiling milk thrice; more than half (56 pc) boiled milk for over 5 minutes; 73 pc never stirred the milk while boiling (considered good during boiling).

"The level of ignorance is tremendous. It is time Indian mothers realised unnecessary boiling would only lead to end of amino acids and minerals in milk," Dr Salome Benjamin, a reputed clinical nutritionist at Nair Hospital, Bombay said. She recommended high temperature heating techniques involving aseptic processing and aseptic packaging to be broad based in India to produce 100 pc bacteria free milk with a long shelf life on account of good packaging.

Boil it to spoil it? Boiling milk at temperatures above 100° C over 15 minutes robs milk of around 70 per cent of its basic nutrients such as vitamins and proteins While milk proteins are deformed and denatured when milk is heated to its boiling point, Vitamin D and B12 — which aid calcium absorption — are destroyed Around half of Indian mothers continue to boil milk not just once, but thrice daily thinking they are actually improving its nutrition value and increasing its shelf life

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With regards,

 

Dr. K. Sampath Kumar,  B.A. (Economics), BGL, M.Com., M.Phil., Cert. A.I.I.B.,
                                        MBA (Finance), MBA (HR & Marketing),  ACS, FCMA, Ph. D.,
Professor, SSN School of Management
C/o. SSN College of Engineering
Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR)
KALAVAKKAM - 603110
Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India
Landline :  044-24860668
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