Tibetan nomads have lived since ancient times in the unique and harsh environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau with average altitudes over 4000 m. These people have been able to live and multiply healthily over numerous generations under the extreme stress of high-altitude environment, including cold, hypoxia, and strong ultraviolet radiation, and with a simple diet devoid of vegetables and fruits for most of the year. Their survival depends heavily on yak milk, and its products comprise the main portion of their daily diet. In this review, yak milk and its derived products are examined in detail and compared with milk from other ruminant species. Yak milk products seem to be particularly rich in functional and bioactive components, which may play a role in maintaining the health status of Tibetan nomads. This includes particular profiles of amino acids and fatty acids, and high levels of antioxidant vitamins, specific enzymes, and bacteria with probiotic activity (yoghurt is the main food). Based on that, it is proposed that the Tibetan nomads have developed a nutritional mechanism adapted to cope with the specific challenges posed by the environment of the world's highest plateau. Systematic studies are required to demonstrate this in a more mechanistic way.

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The present study was to demonstrate the efficiency of antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) on the reduction of acrylamide during thermal processing and to summarize the optimal level of AOB applied in potato-based products. Potato crisps and French fries were immersed into different contents of AOB solution, and the frying processing parameters were optimized. The acrylamide content was determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The sensory evaluation was performed in double blind manner. Our results showed that nearly 74.1% and 76.1% of acrylamide in potato crisps and French fries was reduced when the AOB addition ratio was 0.1% and 0.01% (w/w), respectively. The maximum inhibitory rate was achieved when the immersion time was designed as 60 s. Sensory evaluation results showed that the crispness and flavor of potato crisps and French fries processed by AOB solution had no significant difference compared to normal potato matrixes (P > 0.05) when the AOB addition ratio was <0.5% (w/w). These results suggested that AOB could significantly reduce acrylamide formation in potato-based foods and keep original crispness and flavor of potato matrixes. This study could be regarded as a pioneer contribution on the reduction of acrylamide in various foods by natural antioxidants.

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