CC BY
5Tvo r og
Eliseeva Tatyana, editor-in-chief of the EdaPlus.info project Yampolsky Alexey, nutritionist
E-mail: eliseeva.t@edaplus.info, yampolsky.a@edaplus.info
Abstract. The article discusses the main properties of cottage cheese and its effect on the human body A systematic review of modern specialized literature and relevant scientific data was carried out. The chemical composition and nutritional value of the product are indicated, the use of cottage cheese in various types of medicine and the effectiveness of its use in various diseases are considered. Potentially adverse effects of cottage cheese on the human body under certain medical conditions and diseases are analyzed separately. The scientific foundations of diets with its use are considered.
Keywords: cottage cheese, benefits, harm, beneficial properties, contraindications Beneficial features
Table 1. Chemical composition of cottage cheese (according to Food+).
Main substances (g / 100 g): Curd [1]
Water 81.01
Carbohydrates 6.66
Squirrels 10.34
Alimentary fiber 0
Sugar 1.85
Fats 0.29
Calories (kcal) 72
Minerals (mg/100 g):
Potassium 137
Phosphorus 190
Calcium 86
Sodium 372
Magnesium eleven
Iron 0.15
Zinc 0.47
Copper 0.03
Vitamins (mg/100 g):
Vitamin C 0
Vitamin B6 0.016
Vitamin PP 0.144
Vitamin B1 0.023
Vitamin B2 0.226
Vitamin E 0.01
The data in this table is based on a product that in Europe, the United States and some countries in the Middle East is called "cottage cheese" (the literal translation is "village cheese"). In our country, this product is most often called granular (or grained) cottage cheese, in rare cases using the name "Lithuanian cottage cheese".
The calorie content of cottage cheese is low - only 72 kcal. But it must be borne in mind that he himself is one of the varieties of low-fat cottage cheese (from 0%). While on the shelves of our stores and markets you can also find a much more fatty product (up to 23%), which is also called cottage cheese, but contains 3 times more calories, has a different consistency, acidity and the ability to "give away" useful minerals (for example , calcium), if you use it as an independent dish. Fatty and low-fat foods differ noticeably in the content of vitamins A, E, B12, as well as the presence of zinc, fluorine, copper, and folic acid.
Therefore, in order to correctly assess the beneficial and harmful qualities of cottage cheese, we must first more clearly define the object of consideration and understand what kind of cottage cheese we are dealing with as consumers.
Types of cottage cheese: common and distinctive characteristics
Any cottage cheese is a non-liquid product that is obtained by fermenting milk. Responsible for this culture of lactic acid bacteria. During the cooking process, sometimes (and sometimes not) rennet and calcium chloride are used, and at the end, some of the whey is removed. But since both the raw materials and the characteristics of the production of cottage cheese are different, the final product will also have a different structure, consistency, acidity and fat content.
The generally accepted and official division of cottage cheese occurs according to the parameter of fat content. Physical and chemical indicators allow us to distinguish 4 main groups of the product:
• Fat-free (dietary) - 0%. A small percentage of fat is still retained in it, but it is usually less than one.
• Lean -1.8%.
• Medium fat content (classic) - 4-18%.
• Bold - 19-23%.
At the same time, the folk tradition introduces numerous additional gradations, among which one of the most common is the division of cottage cheese into store-bought and homemade.
Comparison of homemade and store-bought cottage cheese
It is customary for people to oppose homemade and store-bought cottage cheese, and in this competitive struggle, for some reason, the advantage is immediately given to the home cooking method, as more correct and useful. But is it? Let's compare homemade and factory cottage cheese, considering in general terms the process of their production.
Standardization .
In production, all processes are standardized, and the raw materials used are checked for compliance with the requirements. The result is the same product with predictable taste, physical and chemical properties.
At home, it is difficult to achieve the same high stability. The homemade product will change as the skill of the "author" grows, even if the "author" is very attentive to the preparation procedure and does not allow mistakes or carelessness.
Milk .
Factory cottage cheese is made exclusively from pasteurized milk, which is due to the requirements of GOST. With such a gentle method of temperature exposure, non-spore-bearing vegetative bacteria are destroyed. And in order to get a product with the planned fat content at the output, the feedstock is also usually taken normalized in fat content. And in any case, the production uses a mixture of milk from a whole hundred of cows (or collected from cows from various farms).
In urban households, pasteurized milk is also sometimes used to make cottage cheese. But more often, fresh whole milk from one cow is taken as raw material, which is not pasteurized and is almost always subject to uncontrolled bacterial action during milking and transfusion. This does not necessarily "worse" the curd (lactic acid bacteria are simply necessary for the fermentation of milk), but the risks of infection with pathogenic microbes increase.
Sourdough .
In production, cultures of bacteria are introduced into pasteurized milk, as into a purified nutrient medium, which need proteins, fats, sugars (lactose) for reproduction. The result of lactose being eaten by bacteria is lactic acid, due to which a fresh product turns into fermented milk. Therefore, the purity of the bacterial culture used greatly affects the taste of the resulting curd. Often, technologists use combinations of 3-4 strains of various bacteria in experimentally verified ratios.
In homemade cottage cheese, fermentation occurs both due to those bacteria that are already contained in the milk, and those "accidental" that enter the milk from the outside. Sourdough can be kvass, kefir, sour cream, etc. But it's difficult to talk about the purity of a colony of bacteria here, since even in store-bought pasteurized milk, after a certain period of storage, various microorganisms begin to multiply uncontrollably. As a result, the taste of ripened homemade cottage cheese each time will most likely be at least a little, but different.
Coagulation (coagulation) of milk proteins.
To obtain a curd clot in fermented raw materials, the protein must coagulate. This is achieved by heating (acid method) or fermentation (acid-rennet method). Often, calcium chloride is added to the raw material, which accelerates clotting and separation from whey, and also gives a greater yield of the product.
In production, curdling is carried out in various ways, indicating the choice of technology on the packaging. So, if the label says that the composition includes only milk and sourdough (without mentioning enzymes), then this means that the product was simply heated ("cooked" in an acidic way).
It is believed that since heating leads to the death of lactic bacteria, there is less potential benefit from such cottage cheese. Therefore, information about the introduction of rennet (or pepsin) to obtain a curd clot is placed on the packaging, rather, as an advantage of the product. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor the presence of a mixture of vegetable fats, with the help of which manufacturers sometimes reduce the excess acidity of the product.
In home production, the choice of technology primarily depends on family and regional traditions. According to the classical Slavic recipe, curd clot was obtained from curdled milk - it was either left in a cooling oven or heated to 85-90 C. That is, they used a method that has received the name "acidic" in our time. The southern tradition, on the contrary, assumed widespread fermentation. For example, in the Caucasus, for processing with rennet, milk was poured into a washed goat (sheep) stomach and exposed to the sun. The only thing left for people to do was tap the waterskin with a stick from time to time - the rest was done by bacteria and rennet of the stomach.
Serum department .
In production, part of the whey is separated from the curd mass either on special machines that use centrifugal forces during rotation, or on perforated press tubs, or by self-pressing. At home, different methods of filtration and pressing are used, which sometimes leads to "dehydration" and drying of the curd. Excess serum discharge may also be a sign of a violation of the storage temperature conditions.
Structure and consistency: differences between "regular", granular, soft cottage cheese
The principal factor affecting the consistency of cottage cheese is the method of coagulation of milk proteins. With the same humidity (equal to the mass fraction of moisture), a softer, pasty product at the output will be cottage cheese prepared using enzymes. After such preparation, a stronger curd is obtained, which, if necessary, is easier to spread, since the effective viscosity of such a product is twice that of acid curd.
When the proteins are coagulated by heating, the curd will turn out to be more crumbly and dryish. Structurally, it can already be correlated with grained (grain) cottage cheese. But in modern industries, in the manufacture of branded grain cottage cheese ( " cottage cheese"), pepsin or rennet powder, as a rule, is still added. And, besides, there are additional technological tricks that allow you to cook tender curd grain for " cottage cheese":
• compliance with the required concentration of solids in skimmed milk (sometimes protein is added to the composition to adjust),
• choice of starter culture and ratio of strains (with the inclusion of bacterial strains that do not emit large amounts of carbon dioxide),
• specific treatment of the clot (to maintain the balance of acidity).
Perhaps the biggest confusion in terms arises when talking about "ordinary" cottage cheese. Here the word "usual" usually becomes synonymous with the word "usual" (to the speaker). And therefore, in one context, granular cottage cheese can be considered "ordinary", and in another context, soft, pasty. As a result, in two similar questions - "How does ordinary cottage cheese differ from granular?" and "How does soft cottage cheese differ from ordinary one?" - "usual" will be called a product completely different in consistency and structure.
Still sometimes "ordinary" is called cottage cheese, prepared in the traditional acid or acid-rennet method, as opposed to a separate production method. This method is called "separate" because skimmed raw materials and 50% cream are first obtained from milk by separation. Then, low-fat cottage cheese is prepared from milk using enzymatic coagulation of proteins. And then it is mixed with cream.
Sour and fresh cottage cheese
The acidity of cottage cheese is closely related to the vital activity of bacteria. If the product was not subjected to heat treatment during manufacture, then it means that the bacteria were not destroyed by
heating, therefore, acid-rennet curd will turn out, other things being equal, more acidic than acidic (heated). In addition, its acidity will increase as lactic acid bacteria multiply and become active, which always occurs during storage.
However, it must be taken into account that the activity of bacteria in the product is inhibited by milk fats, becoming the so-called stop factor for microorganisms. Therefore, the fatter the cottage cheese, the less sour (more "fresh") it turns out and vice versa - fat-free cottage cheese will turn out to be the most sour if its taste is not artificially "corrected". The dependence of acidity on the fat content of cottage cheese can be expressed in the table, where acidity is indicated in Turner degrees ( o T):
• Up to 240 o T - fat-free cottage cheese (0%).
• 170-230 o T - medium-fat cottage cheese (5-9%).
• Less than 200 o T - fatty cottage cheese (19-23%).
But cottage cheese is in any case a rather sour product. This can be seen by comparing its indicators with those of other fermented milk products, where sour cream and fermented baked milk usually fit in the range of 65-90 o T, kefir - in 80-120 o T. However, since not everyone likes the sour taste, at home raw materials are fermented with kefir, which as a result makes the product more insipid.
How to take into account all of the above parameters when choosing cottage cheese before buying, we will describe in more detail in the section "How to choose and how to store cottage cheese". In the meantime, let's pay attention to how specific characteristics of cottage cheese can affect the medicinal effectiveness of this product.
Medicinal properties
of vitamins B. Thanks to them , this product improves the condition of bone and cartilage tissues, provides the regenerative ability of the nervous system, increases hemoglobin in the blood, and helps in the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system and liver. It is included in the diet to improve fat metabolism and treat obesity.
Cottage cheese belongs to easily digestible products. After processing, the milk protein in the curd becomes even more accessible for enzymatic breakdown than whole and fermented milk. Also, for its processing, the body needs less hydrochloric acid.
For medicinal purposes, the diuretic properties of cottage cheese are also used, which improves the condition of people with high blood pressure, kidney problems, heart and vascular diseases.
Methionine
A large amount of this essential amino acid explains the benefits of cottage cheese for the liver. Thanks to methionine, several problems are solved at once:
Aid in the dissolution of fats . Methionine prevents fat deposition, ensures the normal production of bile and the removal of excess cholesterol. To improve the liver, a product with a 5% fat content is better suited.
Fighting free radicals . The antioxidant effect of the action of the acid protects cells from destruction.
Increased intestinal peristalsis . Cottage cheese protein creates a favorable environment for the intestinal microflora and increases its peristalsis, which helps with constipation (although this rule does not apply to low-fat cottage cheese , which can only exacerbate the problem).
Calcium
One of the main beneficial properties of cottage cheese is the high content of calcium in it. Depending on the type of product of this mineral, cottage cheese contains from 70 to 170 mg / 100 g. Calcium is necessary for the normal formation of bone tissue, the functioning of the cardiovascular system, the implementation of hormonal metabolism, and the transmission of nerve impulses. Without calcium, the absorption of other trace elements (phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins K and D ) is impossible.
The reputation of cottage cheese (without division into types of product) in terms of calcium content has long remained impeccable. But in recent years, cottage cheese has ceased to be talked about as the main source of calcium in the diet. Firstly, leadership in this parameter is now clearly given to hard cheeses, some types of cabbage, poppy seeds, sesame, chia (Spanish sage). Even among closely related products, cottage cheese has stronger competitors (whey, milk). And, secondly, no less important than the amount of the mineral is the factor of its bioavailability. In fermented milk products, up to 80% of calcium is absorbed, but not in all, since digestibility depends on the accompanying amount of fat.
When taken with food, 1 gram of fat absorbs 10 mg of calcium. If we take into account the calcium content at the level of 85-95 mg / 100 g of the product, it turns out that about 8.5-9.5 g of fat is needed for its absorption. Such a balance is achieved in classic cottage cheese with an average 9% fat content. Potentially, calcium in the same volume can be obtained from fat-free cottage cheese, but then the fat necessary for absorption will need to be added independently. In this case, you will have to take into account that excess fat also disrupts the absorption of the mineral.
If the percentage of calcium in 100 grams of the product is higher, then the fat content should be higher for better absorption. The paradox is that in low-fat cottage cheese there is even a little more calcium than in fatty one, because of which the mineral-fat natural balance begins to be disturbed.
You can correct the situation by eliminating vitamin D deficiency , paired with which both calcium and magnesium are well absorbed. There are several forms of vitamin D , but the most mentioned are cholecalciferol ( D 3, which is synthesized under the influence of ultraviolet radiation) and ergocalciferol ( D 2, which we get from food). There is a lot of D 2 in fish oil, portobello mushrooms (champignon varieties) and shiitake. However, a healthy person living in the middle lane usually has enough D 3 formed during a natural lifestyle (that is, for this it is not necessary to specifically increase the amount of time spent in the sun). But an overdose of D 2 obtained with food additives is dangerous and can lead to hypercalcemia with a lot of negative consequences. Therefore, fortified changes to an already balanced 9% product should be made with great care.
The total amount of calcium in the curd also increases when calcium chloride is used for curdling. However, such calcium is poorly absorbed, and in production it is used not so much to improve useful properties, but to increase product yield and accelerate protein coagulation.
Almost all the same medicinal properties as cottage cheese have curd whey. For 93-94% it consists of water, and the remaining 6-7% includes lactose, whey proteins, a small amount of easily digestible milk fat, due to which the benefits of whey are manifested. The calorie content of whey is on average 3 times lower than that of milk, which is why it often becomes the main product in the diet.
If there is no lactose intolerance, whey helps in the digestive tract. But taking into account the fact that the percentage of intolerance among the Eastern Slavs is in the range of 16-18% of the entire adult population, it is better to pay special attention to this before using the serum.
Use in medicine
In classical medicine, cottage cheese is not used for direct treatment. But in some cases, doctors recommend including different types of cottage cheese in diets, depending on the patient's disease. So
42
often a low-fat product is introduced into the diet of diabetics, a fatty product into the diet of those suffering from constipation, a 5% product is recommended to improve liver function. Let's say low-fat cottage cheese for cholecystitis (in the non-acute phase) and for pancreatitis (after consulting a doctor).
In folk medicine
The general therapeutic properties of cottage cheese are also used in folk medicine. It is eaten to strengthen bones, cartilage and teeth, to improve the condition with atherosclerosis, hypertension, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and excretory systems (it is prescribed to relieve swelling).
But folk healers are expanding the range of use of cottage cheese. With its help, cough of various nature, bronchitis and pneumonia are treated. There is a compress recipe that replaces the mustard plaster. To prepare a compress, 2 tablespoons of honey are taken for 200 g of cottage cheese (usually sour) and the mixture is heated in a water bath or in a microwave oven. Then the composition is laid out in one layer on a cloth or gauze folded in 2-3 layers, covered with the same cloth and fixed on the back and / or upper chest, first fixed on the body with cling film and then with a scarf.
in oriental medicine
Despite the fact that cottage cheese is considered a traditional product, primarily for the countries of Eastern, Northern and Central Europe, there are also Eastern traditions of using this fermented milk food in the treatment of patients. So, in the textbook of Tibetan medicine, cottage cheese (there it is called "sho") from cow's and goat's milk as a sour, cold and heavy product is recommended for bile diseases. In a preventive diet prescribed for healthy people with unbalanced digestion (with 1st and 2nd degrees of gastric fire), cottage cheese is recommended to be consumed between 11 and 16 hours of the day.
In the reference books of oriental medicine, there is also a recipe for baldness with sour curd and coarse salt (grinding No. 2) in equal proportions. Cottage cheese in this pair should soften the old coarsened epidermis, and salt should stimulate the formation of new hair follicles. This mixture should be applied with a cotton swab, rubbed into the hair roots and covered with a plastic cap with a warming scarf or towel for 40 minutes. True, the authors warn that the chances of restoring hair in choleric and sanguine people, as well as people with high hemoglobin levels, are higher.
In scientific research
In their research, scientists most often study not cottage cheese itself, but its components (for example, amino acids) and their effects on the body. But sometimes it is the curd protein that is in the center of interest, which is compared both with a similar isolated component from dietary supplements, and with the proteins of other food products.
The influence of curd protein on glucoregulation compared with the influence of cod and soy proteins [2].
While investigating the potential use of various protein foods in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (in relation to the effect of the protein on plasma glucose levels), the scientists conducted a comparative experiment with cod, soy and cottage cheese proteins. The experiment involved 17 healthy adults. As a result, it was found that the consumption of cottage cheese along with a regular meal led to an increased insulin response after 4 hours and a better insulin/glucose ratio after 2 hours, compared with cod and soy proteins (although cod protein caused a stronger glucose response after 1 .5 hours compared to cottage cheese and soy). Remarkably, 40 minutes after a meal, the same insulin peak was
43
observed with all types of protein, but the level remained the same high for a longer time only in the case of cottage cheese.
In the experiment described, scientists could not say for sure whether this was due to the fact that more insulin was produced in response to eating cottage cheese, or due to the fact that the liver cleared the insulin produced by cod and soy proteins faster. Also, scientists could not guarantee that the effect obtained in an experiment with healthy people would be repeated in an experiment with diabetic patients. However, they clearly determined that there is a difference between the effects of the studied proteins on the body, that these proteins can act differently (stimulate insulin production or directly regulate glucose levels) and that the topic should be considered in the context of the formation of promising therapeutic programs for the treatment of diabetes 2- type.
Comparison of the influence on the metabolism of dietary supplement protein as a separate component with curd protein in the composition of the product [3].
In this study, the effect of the protein supplement and the protein in the curd was compared, as sometimes the effect of the whole product differs from the effect of a single component of it. The experiment was carried out with granular cottage cheese. Active young girls (on average, about 20 years old) consumed 30 to 60 g of granular cottage cheese 30-60 minutes before bedtime - 2 hours after the last meal. In total, 10 girls took part in the experiment, who came to the laboratory by 18:00 and stayed there until the morning.
In the morning, from 5 to 8 am, 2 parameters were measured in the participants of the experiment: RER (Respiratory Exchange Ratio) - the respiratory exchange ratio (the ratio of O2 spent and CO2 production) and REE (Resting Energy Expenditure) - energy consumption at rest. Scientists noted an improvement in metabolism and a positive effect on the condition of the muscles in all girls, but they did not find a difference between the protein supplement and cottage cheese. The participants also expressed their subjective opinion about the increase / decrease in morning appetite after different proteins. Here, too, no difference was found.
Weight regulation
Cottage cheese for weight loss is used in almost all programs that allow you to lose weight. The calorie content of cottage cheese depends on its fat content, and can be roughly described by the following table:
• Fat-free - 70 kcal / 100 g.
• Low fat - 85-90 kcal / 100 g.
• Classic - an average of 150 kcal / 100 g.
• Fat - more than 220 kcal / 100 g.
The data is approximate, since products in the range from 4 to 18% fall under the definition of "classic cottage cheese". But it is clear that the nutritional value here is the lower, the lower the percentage of fat indicated on the package.
In extreme cases, losing weight people switch to fat-free cottage cheese with 0-1.8% fat, but this approach is falling out of fashion due to the dietary imbalance of this product. To effectively lose weight, it is enough to choose a cottage cheese diet based on 5-9% cottage cheese, but not to abuse the quantity (frequency of meals, portion sizes, sweet and high-calorie dressings).
In its classic form, with a curd diet, half a kilogram of the product is eaten per day. This volume is divided into 5 meals with the inclusion of a small amount of banana, flax seeds or honey. Cottage cheese is washed down with a glass of low-fat kefir in the morning and a glass in the evening. By the
way, in addition to reducing the energy value, such a diet also helps to dry out due to the diuretic properties of cottage cheese.
A cottage cheese diet (more precisely, a mono-diet) is not suitable for everyone, because it is difficult to stick to one product for a week. For different people, it gives a different effect, but usually we are talking about dropped 1.5-2.5 kg in 7 days with an uneven decrease in volume in the waist, hips and chest.
One of the popular tips from nutritionists says that protein foods are more satiating if they are in a solid (not liquid) form. And although not every advice from nutritionists works equally well, some volunteers tested this advice on themselves, recognizing its effectiveness. So, in the above reports, after drinking yogurt for breakfast, I had to return to the table in half an hour, and after eating cottage cheese, it was relatively easy to wait for dinner.
Some nutritionists pay attention to the fact that you should not eat cottage cheese at night for weight loss. This is explained by the fact that with a low glycemic index (30), the insulin index of cottage cheese is much higher (120) - that is, the pancreas reacts to cottage cheese with an insulin release, which blocks the work of lipase as a key fat-burning enzyme and the "slimming hormone" of somatotropin, which is responsible for burning fat. And since the peak production of this hormone occurs at night, evening cottage cheese begins to interfere with its work.
In cooking
In cooking, cottage cheese is eaten raw, fried, baked, boiled. At the same time, to prepare the dish, the cottage cheese is usually pre-ground (rubbed) - passed through a sieve with a spoon or "crusher". In modern equipped kitchens, blenders are used for this. In grated form, the cottage cheese turns out to be more tender, airy and homogeneous.
In the list of the most famous curd dishes:
• cheesecakes (cottage cheese) - they are most often fried in vegetable oil or baked in the oven, less often they are steamed,
• paski (Easter) - an Easter dish that can be made from both boiled and raw cottage cheese,
• casseroles,
• vareniki,
• cheesecakes.
Since cottage cheese goes well with dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, prunes), berries and fresh fruits (strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears), nuts, curd dishes often include the same additives. In addition, cheesecakes are often made with the addition of greens (dill, green onion feathers) and vegetables (carrots, potatoes).
Curd dishes are traditionally served at the table with honey, sour cream, condensed milk. But there are also unexpected combinations. So, for example, the 37th US President Richard Nixon, according to biographers, loved to eat cottage cheese with ketchup. Now in our country the combination of cottage cheese with linseed oil is rapidly gaining popularity.
The pair "low-fat cottage cheese + flaxseed oil" became known thanks to the work of the German nutritionist and pharmacologist Johanna Budwig, who in the middle of the 20th century introduced a healing "nutrition protocol" designed to change the ratio of fatty acids (reduce excess saturated and compensate for the lack of polyunsaturated) in the human body. A hearty morning breakfast based on low-fat cottage cheese seasoned with linseed oil with the addition of honey, fruits, nuts, flaxseed, with
a parallel rejection of a number of other products, was considered by a nutritionist as a way to treat many diseases, including cancer. However, the scientific community did not support the ideas of Johanna Budwig.
The answer to the question, "when is it better to eat cottage cheese - for breakfast, lunch or dinner?" Depends on the purpose of eating cottage cheese. As mentioned above, it is believed that for weight loss it is better to stop eating cottage cheese at night due to the blocking of the fat-burning enzyme and the "slimming hormone". If the goal is better absorption of calcium, then it is more advisable to eat cottage cheese before bed. This is explained by the activation of the parathyroid glands at night and the accelerated release of mineral salts at this time.
In addition, cottage cheese contains a lot of tryptophan. 18% cottage cheese contains approximately 210-215 mg / 100g, which is about 85% of the daily requirement, and low-fat - about 180 mg / 100 g. This amino acid causes drowsiness and, accordingly, helps to get rid of insomnia.
Sometimes, in order to prevent "washing out" of calcium, nutritionists do not recommend drinking cottage cheese with drinks high in caffeine (tea, coffee). There really is a relationship between caffeine and the intensity of calcium excretion, but the amount of calcium that the body loses after a cup of coffee is easily compensated by one or two tablespoons of cottage cheese. Therefore, it is not necessary to limit yourself too strictly.
In cosmetology
The composition of cottage cheese makes it possible to solve several problems at once with its help. cosmetic tasks:
• Vitamin A helps reduce inflammation
• vitamin B2 stimulates skin metabolism,
• vitamin PP protects against the effects of solar radiation,
• calcium and magnesium make the skin smooth, firm and elastic.
In cosmetology, cottage cheese is usually used in the form of masks, the basis for which is selected based on the fat content of both the skin and the product: low-fat cottage cheese is used for oily skin care, and fatty cottage cheese for dry skin care. Cottage cheese with 5-18% is suitable for combination and normal skin types. As in any other case, before application, the composition should be checked for the possibility of an allergic reaction.
Here are some examples of popular masks that are enough to apply once a week:
Nourishing mask . Cottage cheese (1 tablespoon) and in equal proportions honey and lemon juice (1 teaspoon each) are mixed and applied for 15-20 minutes on cleansed face skin, excluding the eyes and lips.
Rejuvenating mask . Cottage cheese (1 tbsp) is mixed with honey (2 tsp ), banana, strawberry and pumpkin pulp (all ingredients 1 tsp each) and applied to the face for 15-20 minutes. The composition is washed off with warm water.
Mask for dry skin . Cottage cheese 9-18% (2 tablespoons) is mixed with warm milk (2 tablespoons), banana and persimmon (half of each fruit). Like the previous masks, this one is applied for 15-20 minutes on clean skin.
Dangerous properties and contraindications
Any cottage cheese is a rather acidic product, therefore, with gastritis with high acidity and ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract, it is either completely excluded from the diet, or consumed after heat treatment and in a desalinated form. In the acute phases of colitis, pancreatitis, cottage cheese is also usually excluded from the diet for several days, returning after 3-5 days and on the recommendation of a doctor.
Overeating cottage cheese can provoke an exacerbation of kidney disease (due to the abundance of protein components) or increase cholesterol levels (with the abuse of a fatty product). Fatty cottage cheese is excluded for obesity.
Also, a potential danger is posed by expired cottage cheese or a product produced in violation of sanitary standards. Pathogenic bacteria (for example, salmonella) easily multiply in a nutrient curd medium. Moreover, in cottage cheese with a lower presence of lactic acid bacteria, in the absence of natural "competition for resources", E. coli can settle even easier and multiply faster.
Selection and storage
When choosing loose cottage cheese, first of all, you should pay attention to color, smell and structure. The product should be white, although a slight cream shade is allowed, evenly coloring the entire curd mass. There should not be any foreign smells (except for sour milk).
Experts advise giving preference to a homogeneous product of either a crumbly or pasty consistency. In the latter case, the mass should be tender and soft. The firmer the product, the more likely it was made from a "milk construct," sometimes referred to as recombined milk. The composition of such a "construct" includes skimmed dry milk base, whey, cream, milk fats. In addition, the hardness of cottage cheese and the presence of grains and hard grains in the mass indirectly indicate the use of calcium chloride in the production. The use of high temperatures during protein coagulation allows you to increase the shelf life, but makes the product dense and "rubber".
In any case, when buying bulk cottage cheese "from hand", one should take into account the risks associated with the ingress of pathogenic microorganisms into the product, which could settle there both during the manufacturing process and during improper pre-sale storage. However, this does not mean that store-bought and sealed cottage cheese is completely insured against the danger of being spoiled. It is useful for the consumer to pay attention to the temperature in the refrigerator (it should not be higher than 6 C), and to the packaging. In polyethylene, polymer packaging and laminated foil, cottage cheese can be stored for no more than a week, and in parchment - no more than 3 days.
Information on the packaging in general can tell a lot about the buyer.
The best cottage cheese is the one that contains only milk, sourdough and rennet. Calcium chloride is also acceptable, although homogeneity may be disturbed with its use.
Stabilizers, preservatives (most often it is E201-203), flavors, flavor enhancers, starch, palm or lanolin oils indicate that the package contains a curd product created "based on" a quality sample.
The mention of vegetable fats next to milk, sourdough and enzymes may indicate an attempt by the manufacturer to reduce acidity.
Quite rarely, only milk and sourdough (without mentioning enzymes) can be found in the list of ingredients. This suggests that the folding of proteins was carried out using heating ("cooking"). Such cottage cheese is poorly suited for casseroles and cheesecakes, since the cottage cheese dries out during repeated heat treatment. For casseroles, it is better to buy acid-rennet cottage cheese.
Since cottage cheese is sometimes bought not just for a change in the diet, but for some specific purpose, we repeat a few rules:
If you buy cottage cheese for the sake of calcium, then in the average version it is best to take a grained form with a 9% fat content (calculated as a calcium content within 90 mg / 100 g). Most likely, the packaging will not indicate exactly how much calcium is contained in this product, but you can try to find out about this on the manufacturer's website.
Fans of not very sour cottage cheese should choose a more fatty type or use a "boiled" product in which lactic acid bacteria died when heated. You can also use kefir sourdough in home cooking, which reduces acidity, or choose manufacturers who have worked out the technology for making granular cottage cheese with low acidity.
Any cottage cheese should be stored in the refrigerator in a glass or enameled resealable container at a temperature not exceeding 6 ° C and until the expiration date indicated on the package. Ceteris paribus, granular cottage cheese can be stored longer than soft, but still it belongs to easily perishable products . Its shelf life in sealed form usually does not exceed 7 days. Fresh "today's" home-made cottage cheese, manually sorted into bags, can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days. But, if necessary, it can be frozen in the freezer for about a month.
In the past, cottage cheese was "canned" for future use in order to preserve excess milk for a long time. For this, the "boiled" cottage cheese, after being pressed, was again sent to the oven and pressed, bringing it to complete dryness. Then this mass was poured into a disinfected clay pot and poured with melted butter. In a cold cellar, the stock could lie for several months.
How to cook cottage cheese at home
In home practice, there are fast (with the addition of lemon), medium (with heating) and slow (using enzymes) methods for making cottage cheese. We will describe here a method with heating, in which an excellent result can be obtained in a day and a half.
In a saucepan, 5 liters of 3% milk and 350-370 ml of 3% kefir are mixed for sourdough. This "blank" is left for a day at room temperature. After a day, part (also about 300-350 ml) of the resulting fermented product can be set aside so that next time you can use not kefir for cooking, but your own ferment. The saucepan with the rest of the fermented milk is placed on the smallest fire, where it is kept for about 20 minutes until the proteins are curdled (curdling).
It is important to prevent the mixture from boiling during heating, so it is better to monitor the condition of the curd being prepared by stirring it regularly. At that moment, when the curd clots rise to the surface of the pan, and the whey separates and goes down, the fire can be turned off.
In this form (right in the pan), the product is kept until it cools completely, after which the curd is thrown onto a sieve, or collected in gauze. Since this curd mass is still saturated with whey, it is necessary to allow the excess whey to drain. To do this, the curd lump is hung directly in gauze (as a rule, above the same pan) and aged until cooked.
Literature
1. US National Nutrient Database, https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.htmltf/food-details/336756/nutrients
2. Von Post-Skagegard M., Vessby B., Karlstrom B. Glucose and Insulin Responses in Healthy Women after Intake of Composite Meals Containing Cod-, Milk-, and Soy Protein. Eur. J.Clin. Nutr. 2006;60: 949-954. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602404.
3. Samantha M. Leyh, Brandon D. Willingham, Daniel A. Baur, Lynn B. Panton, Michael J. Ormsbee. Pre-sleep protein in casein supplement or whole-food form has no impact on resting energy expenditure or hunger in women. British Journal of Nutrition, 2018; 120 (9): 988 DOI: 10.1017/S0007114518002416
An extended HTML version of this article is available on the edaplus website . info .
Cottage cheese - useful properties, composition and contraindications
Eliseeva Tatyana, editor-in-chief of the project EdaPlus.info YampolskyAleksey, nutritionist
E-mail: eliseeva.t@edaplus.info, yampolsky.a@edaplus.info
Received 03/20/2020
Abstract. The article discusses the main properties of cottage cheese and its effect on the human body. A systematic review of modern specialized literature and relevant scientific data was carried out. The chemical composition and nutritional value of the product are indicated, the use of cottage cheese in various types of medicine and the effectiveness of its use in various diseases are considered. Potentially adverse effects of cottage cheese on the human body under certain medical conditions and diseases are analyzed separately. Considered scientific basics diets With his application.
