What is the use of cottage cheese? Chemical composition and nutritional value of cottage cheese

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

A person from childhood is familiar with such a simple dish as cottage cheese. This essential nutritional product, the benefits of which can not be overestimated, is also tasty. It goes well with other products and serves as the basis for a large number of dishes. Many people like this product and would benefit from knowing the benefits of cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese is a universal food product

Cottage cheese is a protein fermented milk product that mankind began to use in the III-IV century BC, along with other dairy products, when they learned to tame wild cows and goats. Different peoples made and consumed cottage cheese in accordance with their traditions. From then until now, it has always been present in the diet of people.

Everyone knows that milk is the first human food. It is intended by nature to feed offspring. It contains almost all the nutrients that a child needs, and with its help a person adapts to existence in our world. Cottage cheese is a concentrate of milk, so it is even he althier and more nutritious thanmilk. It contains a sufficient amount of protein, which is necessary for the growth of the child's body. This protein is digested faster and easier than protein from meat. Therefore, for sick, debilitated, as well as for the elderly, cottage cheese is simply irreplaceable.

Everyone knows another feature of cottage cheese - a sufficient amount of calcium, which is involved in the circulatory system of the body and is needed to build the bone skeleton.

To more fully consider how cottage cheese is useful for a person, you must first study the process of obtaining it.

Homemade cottage cheese

Getting cottage cheese involves the fermentation of milk. Sourdough can serve as a crust of bread, sour cream or kefir. This is how milk is fermented in the center of Russia.

In the south of the country, a clean goat's stomach is used for this, in which milk is placed and suspended for a while. Under the influence of a gastric enzyme, milk curdles and curds are obtained. This method of producing cottage cheese using enzymes is called the rennet method.

Consider the second way to get cottage cheese. After souring milk, curdled milk is heated to 80-90 degrees, which leads to the formation of curd clots on its surface. And then the mixture is filtered through cheesecloth or a sieve. This method of obtaining cottage cheese is called acidic. It should be noted here that heating to a temperature of 80-90 degrees leads to the death of lactic acid bacteria.

The process of obtaining cottage cheese in the food industry

In thiscase, fermentation of pasteurized milk occurs under the influence of lactic acid bacteria, such as lactococci and thermophilic lactic streptococci. These bacteria are introduced into the milk, which is a nutrient medium for them, and ferment it, producing lactic acid. Lactic acid bacteria are very useful for the human intestinal microflora. They inhibit the activity of pathogenic microorganisms and increase the work of beneficial intestinal bacteria. And as you know, human immunity, intestinal motility and all the activity of the gastrointestinal tract depend on the work of these beneficial bacteria. And this is one of the answers to the question of how cottage cheese is useful.

Getting curd in an acidic way

This method of making cottage cheese is similar to making it at home, that is, fermented milk is heated to 80-90 degrees. The mixture formed on the surface is placed in devices called dehydrators. It should be recalled here that lactic acid bacteria are likely to die.

Method of obtaining cottage cheese using enzymes

This method consists in the fact that special enzymes are added to fermented milk, which have the ability to fold proteins. The process is then completed in the dehydrator. With this method of producing cottage cheese, which is called acid-rennet, the effect of high temperature does not occur, so lactic acid bacteria remain alive and unharmed.

Nutritional value of cottage cheese

The quantitative values of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the composition of cottage cheese with a fat content of 9% per 100 g of the product are as follows:

• proteins - 16.0 g;
• fats - 9.0 g;
• carbs - 2.0g

Mineral composition of cottage cheese

The quantitative values of minerals in the composition of cottage cheese with a fat content of 9% per 100 g of the product are as follows:

• Ca (calcium) 160mg;
• P (phosphorus) - 220 mg;
• K (Potassium) 140mg;
• Mg (magnesium) - 25mg;
• Na (sodium) - 30mg;
• Fe (iron) - 0.4 mg.

The quantitative values of vitamins in the composition of cottage cheese with a fat content of 9% per 100 g of the product are as follows:

• Vitamin A (retinol) - 0.05mg;
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - 1.0 mg;
• Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) - 0.04mg;
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.27mg;
• Vitamin B3 (niacin) - 0.5mg;
• Vitamin B4 (choline) - 46.7mg;
• Vitamin D (calciferol) - 0.29 mcg.

Benefit

The chemical composition and nutritional value of cottage cheese is determined by its constituents. Cottage cheese is a protein product. Proteins make up all the cells of the body, as well as all enzymes and hormones. And cottage cheese proteins have gone through a cycle of lactic acid fermentation and are already hydrolyzed, so they are absorbed more easily and faster. In addition to proteins, cottage cheese contains essential amino acids, such as tryptophan, methionine and lysine, so all therapeutic diets for diseases of the heart and liver include this product. And this is another answer to the question of how cottage cheese is useful.

Patients with atherosclerosis are prescribed cottage cheese because of the presence of lecithin in it, which helps to remove cholesterol from the body.

Looking at the composition of cottage cheese, you can see how much calcium is in cottage cheese, as well as phosphorus and other macronutrients. Calcium and phosphorus s alts are associated with curd proteins and accelerate its digestion. And calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are needed for the regeneration of all tissues in the body, they contribute to the growth of hair, teeth and a satisfactory condition of the skeleton. Therefore, cottage cheese is very useful during pregnancy.

For diabetic patients, cottage cheese is one of the most necessary products due to the low amount of carbohydrates in it.

Which cottage cheese is he althier: fat-free or fat?

Fats are one of the important components of cottage cheese, and their high biological value is due to the presence of essential fatty acids in them. Fats are part of the cells of the body, especially nervous tissue, and supply energy there, in addition, they have protective and plastic functions. Of particular note is methionine, which is able to reduce fat accumulated in the liver. Therefore, cottage cheese is the No. 1 product for people with liver diseases.

But what kind of cottage cheese is he althier: fat-free or fat? The classification of cottage cheese according to the degree of fat content is as follows:

• low fat < 1.8% fat;
• lean < 4.0% fat;
• classic - 9.0% fat;
• fat - 18.0% fat.

And the dependence of the protein content in cottage cheese on the percentage of fat in it per 100 g of the product is as follows:

• low fat - 18g;
• low fat - 16g;
• classic - 16g;
• fat - 14 g.

Fat-free cottage cheese contains slightly more protein than classic or full-fat cottage cheese. But with calcium, the situation is worse. It turns out that calcium is absorbed in the presence of fats. Therefore, no matter how much calcium is in cottage cheese, it will still not be absorbed. It will also lack fat-soluble vitamins, in particular vitamin A. The most balanced in this example is the classic cottage cheese, which will be the most useful for a he althy person.

It is known that the content of cholesterol is proportional to the content of fat. Therefore, in fat-free cottage cheese there will be a minimum amount of it. For people who are prescribed a hypocholesterol diet, fat-free cottage cheese is an excellent food. But in addition, in this case, you need to take vitamins and other products containing calcium.

Which cottage cheese to choose: homemade or store-bought?

This question arises before every housewife. It seems that homemade cottage cheese bought at the market should be better, but there is reason to think. What can be said about this product? Most likely nothing is known about him. What milk is cottage cheese made of, how was it fermented, and then strained? This is a problem with many unknowns. Of course, it can be used, but subjected to heat treatment in the manufacture of any dish from it.

Choosing store-bought cottage cheese, you need to be vigilant. All characteristics of the product are indicated on its wrapper. They need to be readnecessarily. First, you need to look at the date of manufacture when choosing a fresh product. Cottage cheese belongs to perishable products, as the fermentation process in it continues constantly. Secondly, you need to read the information about all its components.

If the curd contains only lactic acid bacteria and milk, it means that it was further heated. Then these beneficial bacteria will no longer be in it, but the rest of the dietary qualities will be preserved.

If the composition of the cottage cheese includes lactic acid bacteria, milk and rennet, then the product was not heated. Therefore, all beneficial bacteria are preserved in it. It remains only to decide on the fat content.

If you want to determine which cottage cheese to give to a child, you need to stop at fresh store-bought cottage cheese with a fat content of 4%. But it is much better to cook cottage cheese for the child yourself. To do this, you need to use boiled milk, which the child usually drinks, ferment it with lactic acid bacteria purchased at the pharmacy, and after fermentation, hang it for a while to remove the whey, but in no case heat it. The resulting product can be safely given to the child.

Curd storage conditions

This product can only be stored in the refrigerator at 2-6 degrees for up to 3 days. For longer storage, cottage cheese can be frozen, then it can be stored for up to 7 days.

Properly selected or cooked cottage cheese will bring much more benefits to the body than the product that is hastily selected or madenot right. It turns out that this also requires knowledge, because knowledge is power!