Enrich ourselves!

In the middle of 2016 the document "Strategy of improvement of quality of food production up to 2030" was approved.

The document focuses on two concepts: "quality" and "safety" of food products. The issue of enrichment is raised in the context of "stimulating the interest of entrepreneurs to functional and enriched food products" and as one of directions of development of scientific research for "working out innovative technologies of deep processing of agricultural raw materials to produce new types of specialized, functional and enriched food products."

Implementation of the Strategy is to increase the proportion of good quality food products in the structure of the food market, primarily of domestic production.
A new trend or a substitution of concepts?

Now in the world there is a tendency for the development of functional food products: for example enrichment of milk with microbiological elements. Enrichment means the addition of vitamins with subsequent improvement of functional properties of milk. For example, Food Union has enriched dairy products with protein. In America they made a bet on "enrichment" in 2012.

In Russia, however, there is confusion over the terms "enrichment" and "falsification". Feeding cows in our country is at the low level, and as a result levels of fat and protein are not satisfactory. So milk producers are forced to replace the missing elements with non-dairy fillers of vegetable origin or with chemical elements that are incompatible with milk.

Director, Federal Research center of nutrition, biotechnology and food safety (former Scientific Research Institute of nutrition of Russian Academy of medical Sciences) Victor Tutelian, states that the population practically on the whole territory of Russia is experiencing iodine deficiency, therefore he proposes to enrich the milk with iodine. In other reports he calls for reducing the content of animal fats and start to enrich. It is interesting to know what kind of "enrichment" he is talking about.

Vladimir Labinov, candidate of agricultural Sciences, Chairman of Technical Committee 470/ MTK 532 in the comments to The DairyNews stated that iodine and dairy products are incompatible on organoleptic characteristics. "There is a way of bringing iodine through iodized salt. In my opinion, this is enough. On the shelf there is both the usual and iodized salt – the user can choose. But if there is a need to educate people – we need to do it," - said the expert.

Meanwhile, staff members of the National Institute of innovation in agriculture and the food industry say that enrichment of food products with vitamins and missing macro - and microelements is a serious intervention in the traditionally prevailing structure of human nutrition.

The discussion of "enrichment" is another fact proving that there are problems with the quality of raw milk in Russia. And if the producers of cultured dairy products don’t suffer too much, the cheese producers depend on it directly. Some cheese-makers have already built their farms: "Molvest", "Sarmich". Cheese producers in the category ofprocessing 1-2 tons of milk per day announce building their own farms to ensure the quality of raw milk. For example, Oleg Sirota in an interview with The DairyNews has announced its intention to build a farm for 100 heads.

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