ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Dairy Analogues, Plant-based Alternatives & Composite Dairy Foods: practice questions

1 · Filled milk and imitation milk · medium

In a filled milk emulsion, the new fat droplets created by homogenisation are stabilised mainly by:

1. Adsorbed milk proteins
2. Lactose crystals on the droplet surface
3. Air bubbles trapped in the fat
4. The vegetable fat's own crystals only

2 · Plant-based milks: soy, oat, almond, rice and pea · hard

Some food safety agencies advise against rice drinks as a main milk substitute for young children because rice:

1. Accumulates inorganic arsenic from paddy soils
2. Contains more lactose than cow milk, causing intolerance in children
3. Contains trypsin inhibitors that are not destroyed by heat
4. Has more protein than toddlers can digest

3 · Plant-based yoghurt and cheese analogues · hard

Plant proteins struggle to give mozzarella-like melt and stretch mainly because:

1. They lack the calcium-bridged casein network that aligns and flows
2. They are always present in larger amounts than casein in cheese
3. They contain too much lactose
4. They melt at lower temperatures than milk fat

4 · Hybrid dairy and plant products · hard

Which motive for hybrid products is the oldest?

1. Climate claims
2. Flexitarian marketing
3. Precision fermentation
4. Cost reduction

5 · Precision-fermentation dairy proteins in analogues · hard

The environmental footprint of precision-fermentation protein depends most heavily on:

1. The number of cows on nearby farms
2. The energy source for fermentation and processing
3. The colour of the final product
4. Whether the product is sold chilled or frozen only

6 · Precision-fermentation dairy proteins in analogues · hard

Before sale, a new precision-fermentation milk protein is typically assessed for:

1. Only its taste in a consumer panel of at least fifty people
2. Its price relative to whey
3. Its colour under ultraviolet light
4. Identity, purity, host residues and allergenicity

7 · Composite dairy foods: dairy with cereals, fruits and vegetables · hard

Codex standards for fermented milks permit flavoured products containing non-dairy ingredients up to about what share by mass?

1. 50%
2. 5%
3. 25%
4. 75%

8 · Composite dairy foods: dairy with cereals, fruits and vegetables · hard

A chilled vegetable and yoghurt dip of near-neutral pH is packed under modified atmosphere. Which hazard most needs control?

1. Lipoxygenase
2. Feathering
3. Clostridium botulinum
4. Lactose crystallisation

9 · Naming and labelling rules for dairy terms · hard

Historically, why has the term 'non-dairy' been criticised on some whitener labels?

1. Products were made from goat milk
2. Products contained caseinate, a milk protein
3. Products contained lactose only
4. Products were not sold chilled

10 · Consumer trends and market · hard

Market data on plant-based dairy should be read critically mainly because sources:

1. Always measure only online sales in one city
2. Are produced only by dairy cooperatives
3. Differ in definitions and in volume versus value
4. Report only infant formula sales