The African American population of Buffalo, New York experiences striking race-based health disparities due to adverse social determinants of health. A team of community leaders and university faculty determined that a community dialogue was needed to focus research and advocacy on the root causes of these disparities. In response, we organized the annual Igniting Hope conference series that has become the premier conference on health disparities in the region. The series, now supported by an R13 conference grant from NCATS, has been held four times (2018–2021) and has attracted community members, community leaders, university faculty, and trainees. The agenda includes talks by national leaders and breakout/working groups that led to a new state law that has reduced disproportionate traffic-ticketing and drivers' license suspensions in Black neighborhoods; mitigation of the disproportionate COVID-19 fatalities in Black communities; and the launching of a university-supported institute. We describe the key elements of success for a conference series designed by a community–university partnership to catalyze initiatives that are having an impact on social determinants of health in Buffalo.

The experiments reported in this research paper aimed to investigate differences in the levels of chlorate (CHLO), perchlorate (PCHLO), trichloromethane (TCM) and iodine residues in bulk tank (BT) milk produced at different milk production periods, and to monitor those levels throughout a skim milk powder (SMP) production chain (BTs, collection tankers [CTs], whole milk silo [WMS] and skim milk silo [SMS]). Chlorate, PCHLO and iodine were measured in SMP, while TCM was measured in the milk cream. The CHLO, TCM and iodine levels in the mid-lactation milk stored in the WMS were lower than legislative and industrial specifications (0.0100 mg/kg, 0.0015 mg/kg and 150 µg/l, respectively). However, in late-lactation, these levels were numerically higher than the mid-lactation levels and specifications. Trichloromethane accumulated in the cream portion after separation. Perchlorate was not detected in any of the samples. Regarding iodine, the levels in mid-lactation reconstituted SMP were higher than that required by manufacturers (100 µg/l), indicating that the levels in milk should be lower than 142 µg/l. The higher residue levels observed in late-lactation could be related to the low milk volume produced during that period and changes in sanitation practices, while changes in feed management could have affected iodine levels. This study could assist in controlling and setting limits for CHLO, TCM and iodine levels in milk, ensuring premium quality dairy products.

The experiments reported in this research paper aimed to track the microbiological load of milk throughout a low-heat skim milk powder (SMP) manufacturing process, from farm bulk tanks to final powder, during mid- and late-lactation (spring and winter, respectively). In the milk powder processing plant studied, low-heat SMP was produced using only the milk supplied by the farms involved in this study. Samples of milk were collected from farm bulk tanks (mid-lactation: 67 farms; late-lactation: 150 farms), collection tankers (CTs), whole milk silo (WMS), skim milk silo (SMS), cream silo (CS) and final SMP. During mid-lactation, the raw milk produced on-farm and transported by the CTs had better microbiological quality than the late-lactation raw milk (e.g., total bacterial count (TBC): 3.60 ± 0.55 and 4.37 ± 0.62 log 10 cfu/ml, respectively). After pasteurisation, reductions in TBC, psychrotrophic (PBC) and proteolytic (PROT) bacterial counts were of lower magnitude in late-lactation than in mid-lactation milk, while thermoduric (LPC—laboratory pasteurisation count) and thermophilic (THERM) bacterial counts were not reduced in both periods. The microbiological quality of the SMP produced was better when using mid-lactation than late-lactation milk (e.g., TBC: 2.36 ± 0.09 and 3.55 ± 0.13 cfu/g, respectively), as mid-lactation raw milk had better quality than late-lactation milk. The bacterial counts of some CTs and of the WMS samples were higher than the upper confidence limit predicted using the bacterial counts measured in the farm milk samples, indicating that the transport conditions or cleaning protocols could have influenced the microbiological load. Therefore, during the different production seasons, appropriate cow management and hygiene practices (on-farm and within the factory) are necessary to control the numbers of different bacterial groups in milk, as those can influence the effectiveness of thermal treatments and consequently affect final product quality.

The study investigated the seasonal changes in the compositional, physicochemical and processing characteristics of milk from a mixed-herd of spring- and autumn-calving cows during the year 2014–2015. The volume proportion of autumn-calving milk (% of total milk) varied with season, from ~10–20 in Spring (March–May), 5–13 in Summer (June–August), 20–40 in Autumn (September–November) and 50–100 in Winter (December–February). While all characteristics varied somewhat from month to month, variation was inconsistent, showing no significant trend with progression of time (year). Consequently, season did not significantly affect many parameters including concentrations of total protein, casein, whey protein, NPN, total calcium, pH, rennet gelation properties or heat stability characteristics. However, season had a significant effect on the concentrations of total P and serum P, levels of αs1- and β-caseins as proportions of total casein, casein micelle size, zeta potential and ethanol stability. The absence of a significant effect of season for most compositional parameters, rennet gelation and heat-stability characteristics suggest that milk from a mixed-herd of spring- and autumn-calving cows is suitable for the manufacture of cheese and milk powder on a year-round basis, when the volume proportion of autumn milk, as a % of total, is similar to that of the current study.

The susceptibility of total casein and the individual caseins in reconstituted skim milk to transglutaminase (TGase)-induced cross-linking was studied as a function of incubation temperature (5–40 °C), pH (5·0–7·0) and mineral addition. Within the ranges studied, the level of total casein cross-linked increased with increasing temperature, pH and concentration of added trisodium citrate, whereas adding calcium chloride had the opposite effect. These effects can be largely related to the effects of these parameters on TGase activity. In addition, the parameters were also found to influence the susceptibility of κ-casein, and to a lesser extent β-casein, to cross-linking, whereas the susceptibility of αs1-casein was not affected. The susceptibility of κ-casein to cross-linking increased with increasing temperature and calcium chloride addition, but decreased with increasing pH and citrate content, whereas the susceptibility of β-casein to TGase-induced cross-linking decreased with increasing temperature, but was not affected by other parameters. These findings highlight the fact that selection of environmental conditions during cross-linking can be applied to tailor the surface, and hence possibly colloidal stability, of casein micelles in TGase-treated milk.

Proteomic analysis of bovine, caprine, buffalo, equine and camel milk highlighted significant interspecies differences. Camel milk was found to be devoid of β-lactoglobulin, whereas β-lactoglobulin was the major whey protein in bovine, buffalo, caprine, and equine milk. Five different isoforms of κ-casein were found in camel milk, analogous to the micro-heterogeneity observed for bovine κ-casein. Several spots observed in 2D-electrophoretograms of milk of all species could tentatively be identified as polypeptides arising from the enzymatic hydrolysis of caseins. The understanding gained from the proteomic comparison of these milks may be of relevance both in terms of identifying sources of hypoallergenic alternatives to bovine milk and detection of adulteration of milk samples and products.

Milk for cheese production in Ireland is predominantly produced by pasture-fed spring-calving herds. Consequently, there are marked seasonal changes in milk composition, which arise from the interactive lactational, dietary and environmental factors. In this study, Cheddar cheese was manufactured on a laboratory scale from milk taken from a spring calving herd, over a 9-month lactation cycle between early April and early December. Plasmin activity of 6-months-old Cheddar cheese samples generally decreased over ripening time. One-dimensional urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of cheese samples taken after 6 months of ripening showed an extensive hydrolysis of caseins, with the fastest hydrolysis of αs1-caseins in cheeses made in August. A proteomic comparison between cheeses produced from milk taken in April, August and December showed a reduction in levels of β-casein and appearance of additional products, corresponding to low molecular weight hydrolysis products of the caseins. This study has demonstrated that a seasonal milk supply causes compositional differences in Cheddar cheese, and that proteomic tools are helpful in understanding the impact of those differences.