Research Progress on Degradation Mechanism of Lactose in Raw Milk and Effects of Its Degradation Products on Raw Milk Quality
Lactose plays a key role in giving dairy products their unique characteristics and flavor,while also plays an important role in keeping dairy products fresh and maintaining the health of consumers.The relation-ship between lactose and lactic acid shapes the unique flavor of dairy products,and understanding this relation-ship is essential for the dairy industry and quality control.This paper focused on the degradation mechanism of lactose in raw milk and the effects of its degradation products on milk quality,systematically analyzed the met-abolic pathway of lactose,and further studied the key enzymes that affected the generation of lactose degrada-tion products,including β-galactosidase,phospho-β-galactosidase,enzymes of Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas(EMP)pathway and lactate dehydrogenase.The mechanism of lactose degradation products(such as lactic acid,antimicrobial peptides,bifidobacterin and hydrogen peroxide)on milk quality was also discussed.[Chi-nese Journal of Animal Nutrition,2024,36(6):3491-3499]