Milk-and-Dairy-Products-in-Human-Nutrition-FAO

Chapter 3 – Milk and dairy product composition 43
where available, with CODEX definitions given only where FAOSTAT definitions
are not available or where additional information is needed. A few case studies are
included in order to highlight particular products.
3.2 Milk composition
3.2.1 The role of milk as a source of macronutrients
Milk is a major source of dietary energy, protein and fat, contributing on average
134 kcal of energy/capita per day, 8 g of protein/capita per day and 7.3 g of fat/capita
per day in 2009 11 (FAOSTAT, 2012). However, when different geographic regions
are considered, the contribution from milk to the various nutritional components
varies considerably (Figure 3.1): milk provides only 3 percent of dietary energy
supply in Asia and Africa compared with 8–9 percent in Europe and Oceania;
6–7 percent of dietary protein supply in Asia and Africa compared with 19 percent
in Europe; and 6–8 percent of dietary fat supply in Asia and Africa, compared with
11–14 percent in Europe, Oceania and Americas.
Water is the main component in all milks, ranging from an average of 68 percent
in reindeer milk to 91 percent in donkey milk. The main carbohydrate is lactose,
which is involved in the intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus,
and the utilization of vitamin D (Campbell and Marshall, 1975, cited in
Park et al., 2007). Lactose also provides a ready source of energy for the neonate,
figure 3.1
Milk as a source of dietary energy, protein and fat in Europe, Oceania, the Americas,
Asia and Africa, 2009
% of total in diet
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Europe
Oceania
Americas
Asia
Africa
Dietary energy supply Dietary protein supply Dietary fat supply
Source: Calculated from data for milk (excluding butter), 2009, from FAOSTAT (http://faostat.fao.org) Europe includes
northern, southern, western and eastern Europe; Oceania includes Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia
and Polynesia; Americas include northern, South and Central America and the Caribbean; Africa includes eastern, middle,
northern, southern and western Africa; Asia includes central, eastern, southern, southeastern and western Asia.
11 “Milk–excluding butter”. The most recent food supply data currently available on FAOSTAT are for
2009.