Inserção do colostro bovino e seus derivados na alimentação humana: benefícios para a saúde, desafios e elaboração de um produto

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Bovine colostrum and bovine whey are co-products of the milk and dairy product chain, rich in bioactive nutrients and with the potential to be used in preparing functional foods. However, technological and regulatory barriers in Brazil prevent excess bovine colostrum from being used and commercialized for human consumption. Thus, the objectives of this study were to gather information on the biological effects of bovine colostrum supplementation on human respiratory health and potential contributions of its nutrients in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection (coronavirus disease 2019 - COVID-19); to investigate the acceptance of foods derived from bovine colostrum by the Brazilian population; and to conduct a study on the nutritional quality of formulations based on bovine colostrum and whey. The acceptance of foods derived from bovine colostrum was investigated using an online questionnaire, applied to 1308 participants over 18 years, residents from 19 Brazilian states. Next, five formulations of bovine colostrum with whey were developed, subjected to slow pasteurization and analyzed for fat, protein, total solids, and defatted dry extract contents, pH, acidity, density, degree Brix and fatty acid content, before and after pasteurization. An enterobacteriaceae(CFU/mL) analysis was performed on the samples to verify the heat treatment effectiveness. As a result of the literature review, it was found that the consumption of supplements based on bovine colostrum showed positive effects on the respiratory health of humans, and it was speculated that their bioactive nutrients could help in preventing and treating COVID-19. In the research on the interest in consumption and in the purchase of foods derived from colostrum, it was verified that the investigated population had good intentions to consume and purchase these products. The development of a product from the association of colostrum with whey enabled nutritional enriching of whey and made the colostrum more fluid, a factor which facilitated its heat treatment. In addition, the formulations presented a good fatty acid profile, with thrombogenicity and atherogenicity indexes close to that of bovine milk. Slow pasteurization (63ºC - 65ºC for 30 minutes) was efficient to eliminate enterobacteriaceae (CFU/mL) in the samples.