From left to right, José Ignacio Pérez de Albéniz, veterinarian of the Ardiberri Technology Center; Carlos Javier González Navarro, director of Innovation of the Nutrition Center; Antonio Ziganda, General Manager of Ultzama Traditional Desserts; Alfredo Martínez, Full Professor of Nutrition of the University of Navarra and researcher principal; and Marisa Kortabitarte, researcher of the association Dairy Cattle and Sheep of Navarra and the Basque Country (Alvo).
PHOTO: Manuel Castells

A study conducted by the University of Navarraat partnership with Ultzama Traditional Dessertssuggests that a curd with a higher oleic acid content could have healthy properties from a cardiovascular point of view.. The goal of this research was to obtain a natural functional food (obtained by modifying livestock feed) that could be beneficial to the health of the consumer, always taking into account the health of the animals.

The research, in which the technology centers association Lechera de Vacuno y Ovino de Navarra y País Vasco (Alvo) and Ardiberri have also participated, was carried out with 20 volunteers, who consumed a curd with profile modified and another of reference letter. The order in which each volunteer consumed them was chosen at random, and for six hours after consumption, a series of tests were carried out to evaluate the effects on metabolism.

"The results allow us to affirm that, although the consumption of this curd did not lead to significant differences in cholesterol values, the reduction in the levels of a cardiovascular risk marker (Apolipoprotein B) is evident. On the other hand, due to the low sugar content of these products, glucose levels were not substantially modified", emphasizes its principal researcher, Alfredo Martínez.

These results have been obtained from research co-financed by the CDTI (Centro para el development Tecnológico Industrial), dependent on the Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness, and the Government of Navarra, through the Euroinnova program, and were presented at the 2nd Oxford Functional Foods Conference.

From a milk with a healthier fatty acid profile
The project has been developed in three phases: in the first one, the professionals of Ultzama Traditional Desserts together with the technicians of the Technological Centers selected the sheep feed that would allow to obtain milk enriched in certain fatty acids in a natural way; the second one consisted in the elaboration of a curd with this milk maintaining the profile of fatty acids obtained; and, finally, the effects were compared with a standard curd by carrying out nutritional intervention tests in humans.

partnership For the first one, completed in April 2011, and in which the two technology centers were involved, the goal was to adapt a healthy feed for the cattle of the business, which also obtained a milk with a healthier fatty acid content profile . After several tests, the final result was to obtain milk with an increase in oleic acid and a decrease in saturated fatty acids.

In phase two, Postres Tradicionales de Ultzama made its curd in the traditional way from raw milk obtained in the previous phase, resulting in a final product with similar characteristics to the raw subject , that is, with a more favorable profile of fatty acids.

Once the first two phases were completed, the nutritional intervention study was launched by the team of experts from the University of Navarra.