Some dairy proteins exhibit antioxidative activity, a property used for marketing foods as beneficial to American consumers.  However, factors in milk production and processing that influence this activity are not fully understood. In this study, commercially available homogenized and pasteurized milk samples from conventional and organic dairies were assayed for antioxidative activity.  Water-soluble protein mixtures were extracted and activities of samples were measured using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay.  Values were compared to determine if the farming system under which the milk is produced exhibited any effect. Results show that activities of milk samples are comparable (58-67 �mol TE/oz) to other products marketed as antioxidant sources, e.g. vegetables and nuts (20-100 �mol TE/g). Additionally, commercially available homogenized and pasteurized milk produced conventionally and organically had similar activities. Assessing the effect of farming system on the activities of milk products will provide consumers information to select a healthy diet.

Antioxidative activity of organic vs. conventional milk

244th National Meeting (2012)

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