Milk protein
Milk protein is the protein contained in cow’s milk. It is made up of 80% casein and 20% whey protein. Casein coagulates (curdles) through acidification, and whey protein through heating.
Milk sugar (lactose)
Milk sugar (a reducing disaccharide) plays an important role as part of the mother’s milk in the nutrition of young mammals. To be assimilated by the body, the milk-sugar must first be broken down during digestion into its two monosaccharides, galactose and glucose (reducing monosaccharides). This is effected with the aid of the body’s lactase enzyme. If the milk sugar cannot be digested due to a lack of lactase, this is called lactose intolerance.
Properties: Lactose is optically active, crystalline, less water-soluble than other sugars such as maltose, and colorless.
Milk sugar
- supplies energy
- supports calcium resorption
- inhibits putrefactive bacteria in the intestine of humans
- favors bifidobacteria
Gluten
(Latin “gluten” = “glue”; synonyms: gluten protein, wheat gum). Name of a mix of 90 % proteins, 8 % lipids, and 2 % carbohydrates, which after water has been added to flour is formed during dough preparation, can be washed out of the dough with water in the form of a resilient mass, and greatly influences the baking characteristics of flour. In humans with a genetic predisposition, the prolamin fraction of the gluten proteins may cause celiac disease, an inflammatory disorder of the intestinal mucous membrane with far-reaching consequences for health. Gluten intolerance As long as digestive activity is normal, gluten is safe, but in humans who (for genetic reasons) are sensitive to gluten, it damages the mucous membrane of the small intestine so that normal digestion ceases to be possible.
Typical indications of gluten intolerance (technical terms: celiac disease, nontropical sprue, or gluten enteropathy) include flatulence, nausea, stomach pains, lack of appetite, chronic diarrhea, and growth impairment in children. A suspicion can be corroborated by an antibody test. The diagnosis must be confirmed by a biopsy of the small intestine. In Central Europe, the incidence of the disease is estimated at 1 in 500 or even 1 in 100 persons. The only therapy possible to date is a lifelong diet without foods containing gluten. If no gluten-containing foods are consumed at all (gluten-free diet), the symptoms will recede after some time. Moreover, various sections of the gluten (as also of casein, a milk protein) have been identified which have an opioid-like effect. These peptides are called exorphines. But it is not quite clear whether they also have any clinical – that is: disease-inducing – significance. Anyone affected by this disorder can obtain information from the German Celiac Disease Association (Deutsche Zöliakie-Gesellschaft) on how to cope with this “invisible” handicap in their everyday lives.
Monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate is produced in the human body during normal metabolism. Some natural foods such as mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, or parmesan, which are used because of their special flavor, contain high concentrations of free (not bound to protein) natural glutamate (approx. 0.1 to 1 % by weight). In addition, an alga exists (Laminaria Japonica) which Asian cooks used in their foods even before 1500 due to its taste-enhancing power. It, too, is a source of monosodium glutamate. Commercially available monosodium glutamate is made from molasses, grain, potatoes, and other starch-containing raw materials. One of the main industrial sources of monosodium glutamate is yeast extract.
