IDXChannel – Lately there has been punic buying of products milk brand bear brand in the midst of the outbreak of cases covid-19, even though it is only a dairy product, not a medicine or a vaccine for Covid-19 patients.
Responding to this phenomenon, IPB University lecturer, Dr Epi Taufik emphasized that milk is neither a medicine nor a vaccine. According to him, milk is a food like any other that has a source of nutrients for the body. This source of nutrients is useful in maintaining metabolic processes, increasing body immunity and preventing inflammation.
“Therefore, milk consumption can help maintain the body’s physiological condition and increase body immunity to prevent COVID-19 infection,” said Coordinator of the Dairy Innovation and Technology Course, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, IPB University, Dr Epi Taufik, Monday (5/7/ 2021)
Regarding the panic buying of milk with certain brands, Dr Epi admitted that the milk is a type of sterile milk.
In terms of nutritional content, the milk is not significantly different from sterile or UHT milk from other brands.
“The difference is usually in the raw material or formulation of sterile or UHT milk. We can find in the market, there are milk brands with 100 percent fresh milk ingredients, there are also milk brands that use other additives such as skimmed milk powder, lactose and stabilizers,” said Dr Epi, Head of the Livestock Division, Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University.
Usually, milk contains macronutrient components such as protein, carbohydrates and fat. Milk also contains minerals, vitamins and other micronutrients.
He also explained that milk protein contains essential amino acids and a biological value or net protein utilization of 90 percent. This value is higher than other protein sources. The biological value indicates the percentage of protein that is actually absorbed and used by the body.
In addition to being a source of nutrition, milk also has bio-functional or bioactive characteristics. Bio-functional or bioactive means that components or compounds from milk contribute to the improvement of the body’s physiological functions.
Thus, it can improve the health status of the body. In addition, the bioactive components contained in milk also function as anticancer, antipathogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.
To meet nutritional needs, the IPB University lecturer suggested that the public pay attention to the recommended Nutrient Adequacy Rate (RDA).
The recommended RDA value for the Indonesian people is a value that shows the average need for certain nutrients that must be met every day for almost all people with certain characteristics including age, gender, level of physical activity, and physiological conditions, to live a healthy life.
Thus, said Dr Epi, people do not need to panic. This is because all types of processed liquid milk, whether pasteurized, sterile or UHT, have almost the same nutritional content. So that the health benefits obtained are relatively the same.
Regarding the panic buying that occurred, Dr Epi urges market participants not to take short-term profits by increasing the selling price of dairy products beyond the normal range.
He also appealed to the government together with the food industry and breeders to guarantee the supply of processed food products. This is in order to help maintain the health status of the community so that the availability and affordability of purchases can be maintained for the general public.
“For the community or consumers, continue to consume milk and other animal proteins, of course vegetable protein is also a source of fiber that milk does not have, in order to have a healthy, diverse and balanced diet,” he concluded. (RAMA)
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