Pesquisa do consumo e fatores que afetam a concentração de melatonina em leite e derivados

Abstract

Milk and dairy production, as well as its consumption have been increasing over the last years. Several factors are taken into account by the consumer for milk consumption, one of the main being health concerns. This study aimed to access the milk and dairy products consumer habits, evaluating socioeconomic variables and reasons for consumption, besides evaluate the consumer perception of milk. It was observed the consumers with lower income, single and younger are the main consumer of milk, with one of the main motives being the practicality. Besides, among all consumers, the main reasons for consumption were “personal taste” and “health concerns”. It was verified too that cheese and butter are the most consumed dairy products, and that dairy consumption concentrates in “smaller meals” throughout the day. In a second study, it was evaluated different methods for concentrate the solids on milk for the concentration of milk melatonin, a hormone with sleep inducing properties. It was possible to concentrate this hormone by rotating evaporation and was observed a great concentration of melatonin in milk whey after coagulation and desorption.