Effect of administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on the postprandial blood glucose elevation was investigated by sugar tolerance tests in rats. Wistar male rats (8-weeks-old) were fed diets supplemented with lyophilized cells of L. rhamnosus GG for 14 days. After oral administration of maltose or glucose, the elevation of blood glucose level was significantly suppressed by the intake of L. rhamnosus GG. In in vitro study, L. rhamnosus GG showed glucose-decreasing action and the action of viable cells was higher than that of heat-sterilized cells. These results suggested that L. rhamnosus GG suppressed the postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting glucose absorption, and the inhibition might be due to binding and assimilation of the glucose.

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 The composition of porcine casein micelles and physico-chemical properties of micellar calcium phosphate (MCP)-cross-linked casein in porcine casein micelles were investigated. The micellar casein content was 3.47-4.07% in porcine skim milk; this value was 1.48-1.73 times higher than that of bovine skim milk. The total calcium, micellar calcium and inorganic phosphorus contents were also higher in porcine milk than in bovine milk. The micellar inorganic phosphorus content was 1.52-3.29 times higher in porcine milk than in bovine milk. The (MCP)-cross-linked casein was separated from porcine casein micelles by high-performance gel chromatography on a TSK-GEL G4000SW_XL column using 6 M urea-simulated milk ultrafiltrate as the eluent. The MCP-cross-linked casein in porcine casein micelles was 66.6-69.2% of total casein. These values are higher than those in corresponding casein micelles of Holstein cow milk, which were 52-57%. The total casein content of porcine milk was higher than that of bovine milk. The little increase in serum casein was observed when porcine skim milk was cooled for 2 to 24 h at 5℃. This suggested that porcine casein was more easily cross-linked by MCP than bovine casein, and that a high content of MCP-cross-linked casein might depress the dissociation of porcine casein micelles on cooling.

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 We evaluated the quality of traditional fermented milk “Dahi”, collected from four areas (Dhaka, Mymensingh, Jamalpur and Bogra) in Bangladesh. Traditionally made 28 dahi samples were collected randomly from those areas and analyzed for chemical and microbial qualities. Of the four areas samples examined, the Bogra area sample had the highest total solids content (38.24±4.37%) and the Mymensigh area sample had the lowest total solids content (29.82±4.61%). Total solids content was markedly affected by the sugar value of the dahi samples. The other parameters examined by chemical analysis, namely, fat (4.88±0.99%) and protein (4.74±0.73%), were the highest in the Mymensingh area sample. On the other hand, the chemical and microbial parameters were very similar between Dhaka and Jamalpur area samples. Microbial analysis revealed that Bogra and Jamalpur area samples were free from molds. The presence of mold and yeast cells in samples might be an indication of contamination due to poor packaging, handling and inadequate transportation system.

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