The use of Monascus has a history of over 1 000 years in China and it is commonly used for making red yeast rice and fermented bean curd. Its metabolites demonstrate broad application potential in the fields of food, health products and medicine. This review summarizes recent advances in research on the metabolites of Monascus in terms of their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering, blood glucose-lowering, and blood pressure-lowering effects. Studies indicate that Monascus metabolites contain various functional components, such as Monascus pigments, monacolin K and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which exhibit their biological activities through multiple mechanisms. Some Monascus pigments have antibacterial properties, monacolin K is an ideal lipid-lowering agent, and GABA shows a significant blood pressure-lowering effect. Additionally, Monascus metabolites demonstrate good anti-inflammatory activity and blood glucose-lowering effects, and show significant anti-inflammatory effects in inflammation models. In conclusion, Monascus metabolites have broad application prospects, but further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of their health benefits. This review will promote their development and application in the food, health and medical fields.

In this research, the effect of different secondary homogenization pressures on the quality of ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilized (UHT) whipped cream was analyzed. The results showed that secondary homogenization of whipped cream at pressures ranging from 4 to 8 MPa shifted the size distribution of the emulsion droplets toward smaller values, and increased the apparent viscosity, which improved the stability of the emulsion. However, too high homogenization pressure led to fat aggregation within the emulsion droplets, affecting the apparent viscosity and foam stability of whipped cream. With an increase in secondary homogenization pressure, whipping time of whipped cream was prolonged, whipping rate, foam stability and hardness was decreased, and even at 12 MPa, it could not be whipped into shape. Therefore, it is recommended that the secondary homogenizing pressure be controlled in the range of 4 to 6 MPa.

A lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strain BD-1 was isolated from red fermented bean curd, and the effect of BD-1 and its fermentation supernatant on the production of Monascus pigments (MPs) by Monascus purpureus ATCC 16365 was studied. The results showed that BD-1 was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum through Gram staining, physiological and biochemical profiles and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Five different inoculum sizes of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8% and 1.0% were tested for strain BD-1 and ATCC 16365 was cultured for 0, 24 or 48 h. It was found that adding 0.6% BD-1 to the fermented medium with ATCC 16365 after culture for 24 h markedly increased the color value and synthesis of extracellular Monascus pigments (EMPs) and intracellular Monascus pigments (IMPs). Under this condition, the color values of EMPs and IMPs were (6.24 ± 0.05) and (288.14 ± 6.82) U/mL, and their synthesis was increased by (146.55 ± 7.84)% and (16.07 ± 0.30)% compared with the control group, respectively. In addition, adding the fermentation supernatant of BD-1 to ATCC 16365 also remarkably increased the color value and synthesis of EMPs, which were increased to 4.20 U/mL and by (29.85 ± 5.40) % compared to the control group, respectively. In summary, the optimal inoculum size of BD-1 for MPs production was 0.6%.

Probiotics are living microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host when consumed in certain amounts. Autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis are immune diseases that cause tissue and organ damage due to immune dysfunction in the body. Patients with autoimmune diseases often suffer from intestinal flora disorders. Probiotic intervention can restore intestinal microecological balance, avoiding the toxic side effects of medications, so it provides a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases. This article reviews the recent progress in research on autoimmune diseases and presents the current status and future prospects of the application of probiotic intervention strategies in autoimmune diseases.

Monascus spp. is a filamentous fungus that can produce beneficial secondary metabolites including Monascus pigments (MPs), monacolin K and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which possess the important biological activities such as acting as a colorant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammation agent. Therefore, Monascus is widely used in such industries such as foods, medicine and brewing. However, Monascus can produce citrinin with nephrotoxicity, which limits its application. In this review, we systematically summarize the latest research progress on the synthesis pathway, biological activity and synthesis regulation of MPs, monacolin K, GABA and citrinin，as well as the application of Monascus in dairy products. We hope that this review can provide new ideas for the safe development of dairy products fermented by Monascus.

Milk and dairy products are foods with high nutritional values. Sterilization techniques that can ensure the safety, long shelf life and stable nutritional value of milk and dairy products are of great interest to researchers. In this paper, we review recent progress in research on sterilization techniques in the dairy industry, illustrates the mechanism of thermal and non-thermal sterilization techniques, and discuss the effect of different sterilization techniques such as pasteurization, ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization, ultra-high pressure, ultrasonic and pulsed electric field on the microbial load, nutritional bioactives, flavor compounds, texture and chemical reactions of milk and dairy products. We hope that this review can provide useful information for the development and application highly bioactive dairy products.

Steroid hormones, small lipophilic substances, are often illegally used as growth-promoting agents in the animal husbandry and breeding industry. Residual hormones in dairy products can enter the human body through the food chain causing a series of health hazards. Residues of steroid hormones in dairy products have become the focus of worldwide concern about veterinary drug residues. Regulations have been issued to limit the content of steroid hormones in dairy products in China. This paper discusses the structure, classification and functions of steroid hormones, and summarizes the maximum residue limits, detection methods, contents and health risks of steroid hormones in dairy products, aiming to provide a reference for further research of steroid hormones in dairy products.

Mold-ripened cheese was prepared using a commercial starter culture combined with Monascus, and its physicochemical properties, free amino acids, microstructure and volatile flavor substances were evaluated. The results showed that the yield of cheese was 16.55%, and the protein, fat, calcium, water, and salt contents of the cheese were 18.03%, 33.40%, 376.67 mg/100 g, 44.47%, and 863.67 mg/100 g, respectively. During the ripening process, pH value first decreased, then increased and finally leveled off. The microstructure indicated that Monascus had a significant effect on the internal structure of mature cheese. A total of 23 free amino acids and 32 volatile compounds were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). At the end of the ripening period (21 days), the content of free amino acids in mold-ripened cheese was increased by an average of 58.8 times over the beginning of ripening, and the types and contents of volatile compounds also changed significantly.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that threatens human health all over the world. Rheumatoid arthritis is closely related to intestinal microbial balance. Probiotics have been demonstrated to have the potential for treating rheumatoid arthritis as they can play an important role?in?improving gut microbiota disorder and restoring normal gut microbiota.?This?paper reviews the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and the changes in the gut microbiota of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and summarizes research studies on the application of probiotics in alleviating rheumatoid arthritis, in order to provide a basis for further clinical trials and application of probiotics.

Protein is an important nutrient for human health, and milk protein is considered an important source of natural bioactive peptides. Milk-derived bioactive peptides, mainly derived from casein and whey proteins by enzymatic hydrolysis or microbial fermentation, contribute to the development of human nervous, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and immune systems and play a vital role in preventing cancer, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and other health problems. In this paper, the application of milk-derived bioactive peptides in nutraceuticals and functional foods has received more and more attention. This article summarizes the production technologies and biological activities of milk-derived bioactive peptides, and provides an outlook on the future production and application of milk-derived bioactive peptides.

Hydrolysis of proteins in lactic acid bacteria fermented milk produces abundant peptides. Bioactive peptides derived from fermented milk proteins not only have rich nutritional value, but also show many biological functions such as antioxidant, blood pressure lowering, and antibacterial effects. This paper reviews various biological peptides derived from fermented milk proteins with antioxidant, antihypertensive and antimicrobial activities with respect to their mechanisms of action, sequences and structure-activity relationships. Besides, it summarizes the techniques used to identify the sequences and predict the functions of biological peptides. This review will provide a reference for the development and application in functional foods.

The effects of ripening temperature and time on the type and concentration of biogenic amines in Monascus-fermented cheese were examined in this paper. The results showed that tyramine, β-phenylethylamine and histamine were the typical biogenic amines of Monascus-fermented cheese during ripening. Their concentrations increased with increasing ripening time and temperature. β-phenylethylamine appeared at the late stage of maturity, and histamine appeared at high temperature. The level and growth rate of tyramine were higher than those of the other two biogenic amines, and it appeared the earliest of all. The optimal ripening conditions were found to be ripening at 14 ℃ for 12–14 days. The results of exposure assessment to biogenic amines in Monascus-fermented cheese showed that the average exposure of Chinese population was 8.55 μg/(kg·d), 94.72 μg/(kg·d) in P99. It is recommended that the per capita intake of Monascus-fermented cheese should not exceed 58 g/d in order to ensure the safety of 99.9% of populations with dietary exposure to biogenic amines through the consumption of Monascus-fermented cheese.

Bovine milk is known as the “white blood” and is one of the most ideal natural foods, rich in protein, milk fat, calcium, vitamins and the eight essential amino acids, also known as a near-perfect food. However, in China, cow’s milk is mostly used for liquid milk processing, and its nutritional value has not been fully utilized. Casein gene polymorphisms are thought to affect milk yield, physicochemical properties and nutritional composition, dairy product manufacturing performance and nutrition, and hence have received much attention from scholars. In this paper, we summarize the existing studies on casein gene polymorphism, the methods used for its detection, and its application, hoping to provide some reference for the targeted breeding of dairy cows, the improvement of milk quality, and the precise development of functional dairy products.

In the past ten years, with the development of advanced scientific technologies and continuous research efforts, great progress has been made in the understanding of probiotics. Especially, how probiotics promote human health is becoming increasingly clear, and probiotic preparation and industrialization technologies are become increasingly mature, which provides a solid foundation for the development of new types of fermented milk. This review focuses on recent progress in understanding the functions, mechanisms of action, genetic transformation and metabolic regulation of probiotics. The probiotic properties, genomic characteristics and extracellular polysaccharide-producing ability of Lactobacillus casei LC2W isolated from Inner Mongolian kumiss and Lactobacillus plantarum ST-Ⅲ isolated from pickles are specifically discussed. Fermented milk containing pure Lactobacillus plantarum can be developed based on Lactobacillus plantarum enrichment, which is expected to provide a theoretical basis for the development of protiotics and functional fermented milk. Fermented dairy products are good carriers for probiotics. Researchers must absorb modern scientific and technological achievements regarding probiotics, step up evidence-based medical demonstration and obtain more clinical research data based on bioactive molecules and biological activity evaluation of probiotics, so that the novel types of fermented dairy products can make more contributions to human health.

Non-thermal processing technology has been widely used in the food processing industry. Dense phase carbon dioxide (DPCD), an emerging non-thermal processing technology, has become the focus of food processing technology researchers worldwide due to its low energy consumption, non-toxicity and harmlessness, and small impact on food quality. As an important component of food, protein directly affects the flavor, texture and nutrition of food. An overview of DPCD processing technology is presented in this article. Moreover, it summarizes the current state of the art in understanding the effect of DPCD on protein structure and processing characteristics, and discusses future prospects for this processing technology. Hopefully, this review will provide new ideas for researchers working on the application of non-thermal processing technologies in food processing.

Psychrotrophic bacteria grow and reproduce rapidly in raw milk under cold conditions while producing some proteases and lipases which may affect the quality of both raw and processed milk. On the basis of the data on raw milk under different regional, seasonal and management conditions collected in China and abroad, this article presents a comparative analysis of the composition and quantity of psychrotrophic bacteria and of the prospects for the application of various technologies for rapid detection of psychrotrophic bacteria in raw milk with focus on the detection time, the limit of detection and the correlation coefficient of the calibration curve as well as the advantages and disadvantages. Next, it summarizes the current status of the control of psychrotrophic bacteria in practice. We believe that the quality and safety control of dairy products will be guaranteed by the combined use of rapid detection technologies and microbial traceability technologies.

The optimization of medium components and culture conditions for improved spore production of Monascus purpureus M-4 in submerge culture was performed using a combination of one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method and response surface methodology (RSM). The OFAT results showed that potato extract powder and glucose were the optimal nitrogen and carbon source, respectively and that their optimal concentrations were 0.4 and 2.0 g/100 mL, respectively. The optimal culture conditions that provided the maximum number of spores were as follows: initial medium pH 6.72 (natural pH), medium volume in a 500-mL triangular flask 120 mL, concentration of added CaCO3 2.0 g/100 mL, number of passages 2, and culture time 72 h. Potato extract powder and glucose concentration as well as culture time were identified as main variables that influence spore production and their optimal levels were determined to be respectively 0.38 g/100 mL, 2.2 g/100 mL and 6.5 d using RSM. The highest spore number of (7.47 ± 0.15) × 106 CFU/mL was experimentally obtained under the optimized conditions, which was close to the predicted value (7.53 ± 0.31) × 106 CFU/mL. The average error between the predicted and experimental values was 0.79%. A 31.13-fold increase in spore number was achieved by the optimization. Besides, the spore-producing ability per unit volume of strain M-4 was greatly improved.

This work aimed to study the effect of rice oil addition on rheological properties of spread processed cheese. Spread processed cheeses were prepared from Cheddar cheese with different amounts of rice oil added, and their storage modulus (G’) and the loss modulus (G”) were measured at different oscillation frequencies. The critical temperatures (melting temperature) for viscoelasticity changes of the processed cheeses were observed and compared. The results showed that G’ and G” decreased with rice oil addition, and so did melting temperature. The greatest decrease in melting temperature (2.45 ℃) was observed with the addition of 25% or 50% rice oil. This led us to conclude that the addition of rice oil to spread processed cheese should be controlled at less than 50%.

Obesity has become one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide that seriously threatens human health. Obesity is closely related to variations in the gut microbiota. Probiotics have potential for obesity treatment as they play an important role in regulating the balance of intestinal flora and improving the immunity of the body. This paper reviews the current status of research on the mechanisms of action of probiotics in animal models of obesity induced by different factors so as to provide useful information for clinical trials and applications of probiotics.

The four taste-active compounds in Edam cheese, i.e., lactic acid, sodium chloride, free amino acids and free fatty acids were determined. Changes in the contents of lactic acid, sodium chloride and free amino acids were examined after being treated with human saliva, simulated saliva and deionized water were examined. The contribution of these compounds to cheese taste was identified by taste active value (TAV). The results showed that lactic acid had no contribution to cheese taste after three treatments. Sodium chloride mainly contributed to the salty taste and there was no significant difference of sodium chloride content between human saliva and deionized water treatments. Free fatty acids were primarily responsible for the acid taste with a mellow mouth feeling. The glutamic acid content of cheese was below the threshold value after human saliva treatment and no umami taste was perceived. Sensory evaluation indicated that the salty taste of cheese was strong and retained well.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a ubiquitous microorganism, and as a member of the probiotic family it owns various probiotic functions including regulating the balance of the intestinal flora, maintaining normal immune response and lowering cholesterol levels, and has a broad application in the food industry. This article aims to review the mechanism underlying the health benefits of typical strains of Lactobacillus plantarum and to assess the factors limiting the application of Lactobacillus plantarum in the dairy industry.The commonly used solutions are presented.Hopefully,this review will provide a useful basis for practical application of Lactobacillus plantarum.

The histamine content in commercial fermented dairy products was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with precolumn derivatization. Four derivatization conditions, dosage of derivatizing agent (dansyl chloride, Dns-Cl), pH value, time and temperature were optimized using one-factor-at-a-time method and response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that the optimized derivatization conditions were easy to manipulate and allowed for efficient, accurate and precise determination of histamine. The method met the requirements for accurate determination of histamine dairy products.

This paper reviews the current status of allergen labelling for domestic and imported dairy products and compares the domestic and oversea regulations on food allergen labelling. The aim is to put forward some suggestions on solving the problems existing in food allergen labelling management in China. Our comparison reveals that the rate of allergen labelling is very low for both domestic and imported dairy products and there are shortcomings in terms of location, terms and emphasis of contents. Furthermore, 60.0% domestic dairy products and 55.6% imported dairy products label the allergens below the ingredients. Foreign brands prefer to use "allergenic" or "sensitizing" as the leading terms in allergen descriptions. Only two brands at home and abroad emphasize allergen labelling using bold font or a different font color.

A comparison of six brands of imported Camembert cheeses was carried out to determine the differences in proteolysis and biogenic amine contents. Moisture content, pH value and free amino acid content of cheese samples were measured, and the degree of proteolysis was analyzed using the Kjeldahl method. Biogenic amine contents were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that there was a significant difference in pH value, proteolysis index and free amino acid contents among six brands (P < 0.05), with different degrees of ripening. Cheese pH value was positively correlated with proteolysis index. A significant difference in biogenic amine contents was also found (P < 0.05), but all samples were within the recommended limit. Among these, the sample FRA1 exhibited the highest degree of proteolysis and highest degree of maturation.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that causes abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation, reducing the quality of life in patients. Probiotics have been shown to regulate the intestinal flora balance, enhance intestinal barrier function and modulate the immune response, thereby providing new approaches to treat IBS. This article aims to review the literature concerning the treatment of IBS with probiotics with respect to the subtypes of IBS, changes in the intestinal flora of IBS patients, the therapeutical effect of probiotics on IBS and the underlying mechanism for the purpose of providing useful information for applying probiotics to treat IBS and broadening their scope of application.

The free fatty acid and volatile flavor compositions of six brands of imported Camembert cheese in China were measured comparatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with GC-MS. The results showed that all analyzed samples had an identical free fatty acid composition, myrisitc, palmitic, linoleic, and stearic acid being the major ones and no significant difference among the total free fatty acid contents of the six samples was found. On the other hand, a significant difference was noted in the contents of volatile flavor compounds, the samples FRA1 and FRA2 containing the highest contents of carboxylic acids while the remaining samples having higher contents of ketone compounds, which may be related to the maturity of cheese. Sensory evaluation of FRA1 and FRA2 showed lower scores for sensory attributes and overall quality, while the other four samples showed no significant difference.

Pseudomonas is a genus of bacteria commonly found in contaminated raw milk. This bacterial genus can form a biofilm on equipment surfaces during the production of dairy products which causes equipment corrosion and is difficult to remove. The biofilm formed by Pseudomonas not only promotes the secretion of heat-resistant peptidases but also provides a substrate for the growth of pathogenic bacteria, posing a great risk to the safety of dairy products. This article outlines recent progress in understanding the mechanisms for the regulation of Pseudomonas biofilm formation and the environmental factors affecting Pseudomonas biofilm formation, which is helpful for the prevention and control of Pseudomonas bioflim.

Psychrotrophic bacteria and their heat-resistant enzymes are common contaminants in raw milk,leading to dairy product spoilage.The biodiversity of psychrotrophic bacteria isolated from raw milk in Shanghai was investigated by 16S rRNA sequencing and the individual isolates were evaluated for protease and lipase activities by plate culture.All isolates were classified into 33 genera in 9 classes,with Pseudomonas (55％),Acinetobacter (10％) and Flavobacterium (5％) being predominant,and the remaining 30 genera accounting for 30％ of the total number of isolates.Most isolates had the ability to produce protease or lipase,and different genera had different enzymatic profiles.Pseudomonas and Flavobacterium exhibited considerable protease activity,whereas Klebsiella showed strong lipase activity.On the other hand,most Acinetobacter isolates could produced neither protease nor lipase.

Microwave is a technology that enables fast heating. In this review, the recent progress in the application of microwave in the dairy industry with respect to its effect on milk quality and its use in the detection of dairy products and the degradation of dairy wastes. It is showed that microwave has broad prospects for application in the dairy industry.

This article summarizes the current progress in understanding the characteristics of mixed culture fermentation and interaction mechanism of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus as well as the influences of mixed culture fermentation on the synthesis of exopolysaccharides and flavor substances. The aim of this review is to provide useful information for researchers to apply them and screen starter cultures.