Constituents of nutritional relevance in fermented milk products commercialised in Italy

Fermented milk products represent an increasing share of the dairy products consumed in Italy. The nutritional value of these products is related to the milk utilised and to the eventual presence of other ingredients (milk powder, sugar, fruit puree and fruit extracts), whereas the microrganisms used can affect texture and organoleptic characteristics. In this paper constituents of nutritional relevance such as protein, fat, total carbohydrate, amino acids, minerals, vitamin A, vitamin E and cholesterol, have been evaluated in yoghurts, fermented milks (plain and with essences) and Quark cheeses (plain and with fruits). This study confirms the high nutritional quality of fermented milks and stresses the role of non-milk ingredients in modifying and, sometimes, improving the dietary contribution of these products.