Improving milk quality to prevent microelement deficiencies: a socio-hygienic perspective on adding bioavailable trace elements

Abstract

Based on the study of actual nutrition and the availability of macro- and microelements, it was found that the adult population of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) of Russia belongs to the risk group for the development of micronutrient insufficiency associated with a low content in the diet of several essential elements (copper, zinc, calcium, selenium), which are a priority for correction. This is because 89% of the population in the NCFD has a diet that is significantly out of balance both quantitatively and qualitatively, negatively impacting nutritional status and the dispersion of trace elements. It was found that a significant part of the population of the NCFD is characterized by a lack of dairy products in the diet (59.8%), as well as insufficient intake of vitamins B2, B6, C, PP, folic acid, I, Se, Cu, Zn, Mg, Ca, fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, tryptophan. Volunteers were selected for the experiment – adult men living in the NCFD. The volunteers took 200 ml of “Voznesenovsky Ecoprodukt” milk (2.5% fatness) for 60 days, produced by a local enterprise using the technology proposed by the authors. Significant violations of mineral metabolism were found in 68.3% of the population at the start of the trial, according to the findings of screening examinations conducted on the hair of the experiment's volunteer participants. Among the priorities for the correction of essential elements are: Se (deficiency in 88.2% of the examined), J (82.2%), Cu (59.1%), Zn (66.7%), Ca (29.8%). The proportion of people with calcium deficiency decreased from 29.8 to 21.5%, copper from 59.1 to 36.2%, selenium from 88.2 to 72.4%, zinc from 66.7 to 38.4%, and iodine from 82.2 to 68.4% when "Voznsenovsky Ecoproduct" was added to the milk diet. At the end of the preventive course, an increase in the concentration in the hair was noted: calcium (by 26.6%), zinc (by 11.0%), copper (by 10.1%), iodine (by 32.5%) and selenium (by 38.9%). Regular consumption of “Voznesenovsky Ecoprodukt” milk allowed to increase the consumption of dairy products among the study participants, to receive a rapid physiological response of the body in the form of an increase in the content of the studied micro- and macroelements in the hair, reducing the number of people with calcium, zinc and selenium deficiency.