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Nutritional Value and Health Properties in Milk and Dairy Products:...
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Nutritional Value and Health Properties in Milk and Dairy Products: Focusing on Functional Compounds

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 4772

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, No. 600 Changjiang St., Xiangfang District, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: milk; infant formula; cheese; functional foods; lipid digestion; emulsifying stability; nutrition; food chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lu Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, No. 600 Changjiang St., Xiangfang District, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: dairy science and technology; cheese; infant formula; functional dairy products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Milk and dairy products are traditionally known for their high content of essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, calcium, and other minerals. Recent studies have expanded our understanding of the functional compounds in milk and dairy products, highlighting their potential to support health beyond basic nutrition. The key functional compounds found in milk and dairy products include but are not limited to functional proteins, peptides, functional lipids, oligosaccharides, and probiotics. Technological innovations, such as fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis, have allowed the development of dairy products with higher concentrations of these functional compounds. There is also growing interest in personalized nutrition, where dairy-based functional foods are tailored to individual health needs, such as addressing specific metabolic conditions, improving bone density, or modulating the gut microbiome. By focusing on the functional components in milk and dairy products, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of their role in promoting human health alongside the latest advancements in dairy science and the potential for innovation in the dairy industry.

Key areas of discussion in this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:

  • The mechanisms of action behind functional compounds.
  • The role of functional compounds in metabolic health, immunity, brain function, and gut health.
  • Technological advancements in the fortification of dairy products with functional compounds.
  • Technological advancements in enhancing the concentration of bioactive compounds in dairy products.
  • The future of dairy research in promoting personalized nutrition and health.

Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Li
Dr. Lu Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • milk
  • dairy products
  • functional compounds
  • nutritional properties
  • health benefits
  • bioavailability
  • metabolic health
  • personalized nutrition

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 9187 KB  
Article
Addition of Phospholipids Improved the Physical Stability and Fat Globule Structure of Processed Milk
by Yue Pan, Lei Zhang, Xuanfei Fu, Xiaodong Li, Lu Liu, Xuezhen Wang, Jinfeng Zhang and Wenli Zhou
Foods 2025, 14(3), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030375 - 24 Jan 2025
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3687
Abstract
The manufacturing processes for infant formula disrupt the structure of phospholipid-coated milk fat globules, thereby impacting the physical stability of the system. In this study, either soybean phospholipids (SPs) or egg yolk phospholipids (EYPs) were incorporated into the milk system to reduce this [...] Read more.
The manufacturing processes for infant formula disrupt the structure of phospholipid-coated milk fat globules, thereby impacting the physical stability of the system. In this study, either soybean phospholipids (SPs) or egg yolk phospholipids (EYPs) were incorporated into the milk system to reduce this damage, and their effects on the stability and fat globule structure of processed milk were examined. The findings revealed that the addition of phospholipids improved the physical stability and fat globule structure of different processed milk. In pasteurized milk, the stability constant of samples with phospholipids decreased from 0.42 to 0.37 compared to phospholipid-free milk, but no significant difference was found between the EYP and SP groups. In homogenized milk, adding EYPs resulted in a smaller particle size (870.35 nm versus 953.39 nm) and stability constant (0.28 versus 0.30) than the addition of SP. Moreover, homogenized milk added with EYPs exhibited a denser phospholipid interface film which led to a more intact fat globule structure. Consequently, the milk powder particles in the spray-dried milk supplemented with EYPs showed a more uniform distribution and smoother surface. These findings suggested that EYPs were superior to SPs in restructuring fat globules and enhancing newly formed fat globule stability during milk powder processing. This offers valuable insights for improving the physical and structural properties of dairy products, such as infant formula. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Value and Health Properties in Milk and Dairy Products: Focusing on Functional Compounds)
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Review

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22 pages, 1840 KB  
Review
From Cheese Whey to Functional Ingredients: Upcycling Whey Proteins for Cardiovascular and Immunomodulatory Health—Evidence Mapping and Perspectives from Portugal
by João Mota, Márcio Moura-Alves, Ana Francisca Teixeira, Rafaela Nóbrega, Diogo Lameirão and Carla Gonçalves
Foods 2026, 15(5), 908; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15050908 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 576
Abstract
Cheese whey, a low-value by-product of cheese production, has gained renewed attention within the transition toward sustainable and circular food systems. Despite posing environmental challenges due to its high biochemical and chemical oxygen demand, whey retains a substantial proportion of milk nutrients, notably [...] Read more.
Cheese whey, a low-value by-product of cheese production, has gained renewed attention within the transition toward sustainable and circular food systems. Despite posing environmental challenges due to its high biochemical and chemical oxygen demand, whey retains a substantial proportion of milk nutrients, notably high-quality proteins that can be converted into bioactive peptides with potential health benefits. These peptides have been shown to modulate key biological pathways, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, nitric oxide bioavailability, oxidative stress balance, and inflammatory signaling, providing mechanistic plausibility for cardioprotective and immunomodulatory effects. However, the translation of promising in vitro and animal findings into consistent human health outcomes remains constrained by variability in peptide composition, processing conditions, bioavailability, and study design. This narrative review critically synthesizes current evidence on the functional properties of whey-derived peptides, with particular emphasis on cardiovascular and immunomodulatory outcomes across experimental models. In addition, the review situates whey upcycling within the Portuguese agro-food context, highlighting regional cheese production as both an environmental challenge and an opportunity for sustainable innovation. By integrating mechanistic evidence with sustainability-driven valorization strategies, this review aims to clarify the translational potential of whey-derived peptides as functional food ingredients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Value and Health Properties in Milk and Dairy Products: Focusing on Functional Compounds)
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