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Lactase persistence or lactose tolerance is the continued activity of the lactase enzyme in adulthood, allowing the digestion of lactose in milk. In most mammals , the activity of the enzyme is dramatically reduced after weaning . [ 1 ]
Lactase (EC 3.2.1.108) is an enzyme produced by many organisms and is essential to the complete digestion of whole milk. It breaks down the sugar lactose into its component parts, galactose and glucose .
This resulted in higher frequency of lactase persistence. [79] Lactase persistence became high in regions such as Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Northwestern India. However, most people worldwide remain lactase non-persistent. [9] Populations that raised animals not used for milk tend to have 90–100 percent of a lactose intolerant ...
The majority of humans actually follow this protocol as well, and down-regulate lactase production around 3-5 years of age. Interestingly, though, the majority of caucasians, mainly those from northern european background, continue to have elevated lactase activity all the way into adulthood, and so they exhibit “lactase persistence”.
Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from lact (gen. lactis), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix -ose used to name sugars. The compound is a white, water-soluble, non-hygroscopic solid with a mildly sweet taste. It is used in the food industry. [5]
The enzyme lactase is required for degradation of the milk sugar lactose and is present at high levels in infants, but in most populations will decrease after weaning or during infancy, potentially leading to lactose intolerance in adulthood.
A glass of cow milk Cows in a rotary milking parlor. Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. [1] Milk contains many nutrients, including calcium and protein, as well as lactose and ...
The skim milk is then fractionated using ultrafiltration to make a skim concentrate that is lactose-reduced. [1] This process separates milk components according to their molecular size. Milk then passes through a membrane that allows some of the lactose, minerals, and water to cross through.