The Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health’s hybrid event “Essential minerals in milk: their variation and nutritional implications” showcases the results from the EIT Food project NUTRIMILK, an investigation of the variation in macrominerals and trace elements in retail milk throughout the year and the nutritional implications for consumers. The hybrid event will take place on Friday 16 December at 12.00 – 14.00, in-person at the Frank Parkinson room, Agriculture Building, University of Reading, as well as live online via MS Teams, and includes two parts:
- 12:00-13:00 (hybrid). Presentation: Macrominerals and trace elements in cows’ retail milk: seasonal variation and implications for consumer nutrition, by Dr Sokratis Stergiadis, Associate Professor at the University of Reading
- 13:00-14:00 (in-person only). Networking and lunch: Tea/coffee and lunch will be provided for those who will be able to attend in-person at the Frank Parkinson room.
The attendance is free but registration for both, in-person and online is required. Deadline for registration is Monday 12 December 17:00 GMT.
To register your attendance, please visit our webinar Eventbrite page. Please feel free to share the invitation within your professional networks.
Abstract: Milk is an important dietary source of essential macrominerals and trace elements (Ca, I, P, Zn, K, Se, Mg, Na), but there is substantial seasonal variation in their concentrations because of different feeding management between seasons. This large variation may increase the risk of nutrient imbalances throughout the year, particularly in demographics with higher requirements (toddlers, children, pregnant/nursing women). Farm-to-fork interventions can improve consistency in mineral composition but the seasonal and production systems’ variation of the retail milk mineral profile is unknown, thus making it difficult for the food and livestock industry to identify the potential risks to nutrient supply. This project study will investigate the seasonal variation in macromineral and trace element concentrations of milk from conventional and organic dairy systems, and assess the impact on mineral intakes of the different demographics across the year. Results can be used to inform food-chain interventions for optimum milk mineral contents.
