Swell side of coffee with milk, according to experts

February 3, 2023

The most popular beverage in Asia continues to be coffee, the largest segment of the global market for hot beverages, with a US$722 billion market value in 2022. According to Spire Research, the region’s consumption of coffee has increased 1.5% over the past five years, outpacing consumption growth estimates for the US and Europe of 1.5% and 0.5%, respectively.

Coffee drinkers in Southeast Asian countries are driving this growth in the region, with Indonesia taking the lead with a nearly 11% increase in annual coffee sales, followed by Malaysia at 7% and Singapore at 5%.

Needless to say, the region’s demand not only supports the coffee supply chain, but also benefits from the health benefits of coffee consumption.

Coffee’s health benefits have been recognized and not a few studies claim that the drink may help in preventing a wide range of health conditions and disorders from diabetes to Alzheimer’s and stroke.

But what if we add a nutritious ingredient to our coffee? An ingredient such as milk, also known as the “perfect food”?

According to a new study from the University of Copenhagen, adding milk to coffee may have an anti-inflammatory effect. The study, which was funded by the Danish Independent Research Fund and carried out in collaboration with the Technical University of Dresden in Germany, was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The researchers discovered that combining proteins and antioxidants doubles the anti-inflammatory properties of immune cells. The effects on human health will be studied, the researchers said.

Polyphenols are antioxidants found in humans, plants, fruits, and vegetables. The food industry also uses this class of antioxidants to slow oxidation and deterioration of food quality, avoiding off flavors and rancidity. Polyphenols are also known to be beneficial to humans because they help reduce oxidative stress in the body, which causes inflammation.

In a new study, researchers from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen collaborated with researchers from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences to investigate how polyphenols behave when combined with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

The researchers used artificial inflammation to test the anti-inflammatory effect of combining polyphenols and proteins. Some cells were given different doses of polyphenols that had reacted with an amino acid, while others were only given polyphenols in the same doses. A control group received no treatment.

The researchers found that adding polyphenols and amino acids to immune cells doubled their ability to reduce inflammation compared to cells that only received polyphenols.

Polyphenols bind to proteins in meat, milk, and beer, based on previous research by the researchers. Another recent study looked at whether the molecules bind to each other in a coffee drink with milk. Coffee beans are high in polyphenols, while milk is high in protein.

As a result, the researcher believes that the reaction and potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effect occur when other foods containing proteins and fruits or vegetables are combined.

The researchers are said to be working on how to add the appropriate amounts of polyphenols to foods in order to achieve the best quality. In this context, the new research findings are promising, they said.

Source: Science Daily – https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230130090347.htm

Tags: Asia, beverage, coffee, featured, health benefits of coffee, milk