Applied Foods

Lactation Biology Symposium: The New Era of High Components—How Can We Increase Milk Protein in Accordance with Milk Fat?

Milk fat has been increasing at colossal rates in the past decade through the advancement of cow comfort, management, and an understanding of rumen health and feed additives. However, milk protein has not followed milk fat’s rapid improvement. Cheese processors require certain quantities of milk protein, and have faced challenges with recent surges in milk fat without the same rapid increase in milk protein. How do we take the next step in component production to increase milk protein?

Dairy Management Inc. Symposium: The Milk Fat Globule Membrane—Recent Technological Advances in the Milk Fat Globule Membrane– and Dairy Phospholipid–Rich Ingredients

Ingredients such as whey protein phospholipid concentrate, buttermilk, and beta serum are some of the key coproduct streams during the production of various mainstream dairy products and ingredients. These ingredients contain valuable bioactives in the form of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) material and dairy phospholipids (PL). The milk fat globule membrane and PL continue to demonstrate various health benefits, such as improved cognition, gut health, and immunity, as well as unique functional properties when used in food applications. This symposium will showcase recent advances in MFGM- and PL-rich dairy ingredients by highlighting ongoing research on their role in human health, developments in processing technologies, and insights into functionality and flavor when used in food applications, offering a comprehensive view of how these ingredients can drive innovation in dairy and functional foods.

Ruminant Nutrition Symposium: From Data to the Barn—The Application of Nutritional Models

Coming soon!

Milk Protein and Enzymes Symposium: Clean-Label Dairy Foods—The Functionality of Milk Proteins

In recent years, the term “clean label” has been associated with health and safety by consumers and has received increasing spotlight from the food and dairy industries. Although it’s not a well-defined claim in food regulations, a major component of clean label is typically formulating products with simple, fewer, recognizable, and minimally processed ingredients. Because of dairy proteins’ great nutritional quality and versatile functionality, they could play an important role in formulating such clean-label products. The aim of this symposium is to provide a technical overview of how maximizing the functionality of dairy proteins can enable delivering even cleaner label innovation in various dairy food systems.

Dairy Foods Symposium: Advances in Cheese Science—Bridging Microbial Insights and Technological Innovation

This interdisciplinary symposium will highlight recent scientific and technological advancements in cheese research, with a focus on microbial ecosystems, cheese quality evaluation, and innovative processing methods. A wide range of topics, from microbial ecosystems to novel processing techniques, will be covered, offering insights into both traditional and modern cheesemaking practices. The session will explore how emerging tools and techniques are reshaping the future of cheesemaking.

Key themes will include

• Microbial dynamics in cheese ecosystems: A deep dive into the role of fungi, bacteria, and microbiota in the ripening of specialty cheeses, with perspectives on how microbial communities influence flavor, texture, and safety.
• Science of calcium lactate formation: Understanding the science behind calcium lactate formation and its implications for cheese quality and consumer perception.
• Phage management in cheese production: Exploring the dual role of bacteriophages as both risks and tools in dairy fermentation, with a focus on strategies for phage control in cheese plants.
• Advanced microbial techniques for cheese defect evaluation: Leveraging genomic and metagenomic tools to identify and mitigate defects in cheese, enhancing product consistency and quality.
• Innovations in mozzarella processing: Presentation on waterless cooker technology and its impact on the yield as well as stretching and textural properties of mozzarella cheese.

This session is intended to promote interdisciplinary engagement and collaboration between microbiologists, technologists, and dairy industry professionals, while showcasing the recent scientific developments and their practical applications in cheese production.

Dairy Foods Symposium: Dairy Food Safety—New Approaches to an Age-Old Challenge

Over the past century, a focus on dairy food safety has transformed public health outcomes. In 1938, one in four foodborne and waterborne diseases was attributed to the consumption of milk and milk products. Today, dairy products account for less than one percent of these illnesses. Despite these critical improvements, challenges to supplying consumers with safe dairy products persist for a number of reasons, including emerging and evolving pathogens, changes in food processing, formulations, and distribution pathways, and shifting consumer behaviors. Leveraging new approaches to detecting, preventing, and eliminating pathogens in the food chain is essential to reduce negative public health outcomes and ensure continued consumer trust in the dairy industry.

ADSA Dairy Foods Division International Partnership Program (IPP) Symposium: Dairy Research in China—Dairy Chain Innovation

The International Partnership Program (IPP) Symposium is where scientists from research centers and regions outside North America present their unique work to a largely United States–based audience. The intent is to have Production and Dairy Foods cross-disciplinary presentations to help bring the dairy chain closer together. In recent years, China’s dairy industry and scientific community have made remarkable progress. Many Chinese dairy scientists have carried out excellent research in both fundamental science and technological innovation. This year’s symposium, co-organized by ADSA and the China Alliance of Dairy Innovation (CADI), will showcase advances across the dairy value chain in China.