Low calorie sugar-free milk products on the menu

Tirupati: Here is good news for the diabetic and obese people. They can gobble the delicious Palakova, ice creams or enjoy the tasty soft drinks like grape juice, lassi and other milk-based items with no fear of their sugar level shooting up.

Students of Veterinary University Dairy Technology here has brought out sugar-free and low calorie food items which are on sale at the counter in Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU).

These students who have been producing varieties of milk-based products including sweets, soft drinks and other food items for sale have now added sugar-free and low calories products in their menu.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dairy Technology Professor, Kotilinga Reddy, said a centre for production of milk-based products was set up with a cost of Rs 25 lakh machinery to impart practical training to dairy science students and also make them earn while they are learning.

The centre is also training women dairy farmers in the preparation of value-added milk products to enable them earn more income.

“The good response to the food items from the consumers motivated us to take up production of sugar -free and low-calorie items,” he said and informed that these products were prepared using artificial sweeteners of Sucralose and Aspartame which are 600 times sweeter and low on calories compared to sugar, Sorbitol, Maltodextrin, odorless and bio- degradable byproducts of sweet corn or potato starch.

Kotilinga Reddy said that government guidelines have been strictly adhered to while preparing these artificial products.

He pointed out that a cup of special ice-cream produced by the students has only 120 calories compared a normal ice cream, which contain 190 calories.

The special products also have a lower price tag with badam milk at Rs.25 (200 ml bottle), lassi Rs.30 (200ml cup), grape juice Rs 25, ice-creams Rs 20 (90 ml cup).

These sugar-free and low calorie products have been churned out keeping in view the large number of people suffering from diabetes in Tirupati – 50,000 diabetics, according to IMA survey - and obesity.

Till date, five products - ice creams, grape juice, sweet lassi, badam and flavoured milk - have been introduced and more products will follow soon, according to Kotilinga Reddy.