Dairy Digressions

• Consumer Perceptions of Dairy, Milk in School Lunches, and Finding Your Passion and Purpose with MaryAnne Drake, PhD

  We’re bringing you a dairy food science icon on this episode of Dairy Digressions. Host Matt Lucy, PhD, is joined by MaryAnne Drake, PhD, a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Food Science at North Carolina State University. MaryAnne is the director of the Sensory Service Center, director of the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center, an ADSA Fellow who served as ADSA’s first female president, and a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. MaryAnne explains her journey from food microbiology to being a leading authority in sensory science, dairy flavor chemistry, and consumer research after a stint working in a creamery during graduate school. She now runs a lab focused on sensory analysis and flavor chemistry of dairy products and ingredients, working to understand how flavor varies with processing and storage, and how these parameters relate to consumer perceptions. Listen in as MaryAnne shares her valuable insights on pressing issues in dairy, from the influence of packaging on school milk flavor—including why the milk carton might not be the best option—to consumer attitudes toward dairy versus plant-based alternatives. The two also discuss sustainability messaging around dairy, milk marketing, and the critical role of school lunch programs in shaping a lifelong love of milk and dairy products. She takes us behind the scenes of her massive lab (which she lovingly calls her “flying three-ring circus”), her work with industry, tips on getting a job in food science, and why finding your passion and purpose is the key to success in science. Finally, she discusses the importance of purpose driven work, the evolving role of women in science, and the intellectual joy of progress, even if it happens on a quiet holiday.  Episode Twenty-Eight Show NotesLearn more about MaryAnne Drake, PhD, and connect with her on LinkedIn. Want even more of the latest dairy food science? Join us at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next June! Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.Catch up on the papers discussed in the episode:Parental perception of children’s school lunch milk, Journal of Dairy Science (2023) The role of packaging on the flavor of fluid milk, Journal of Dairy Science (2023) Parents’ implicit perceptions of dairy milk and plant-based milk alternatives, Journal of Dairy Science (2022)Children's perceptions of fluid milk with varying levels of milkfat, Journal of Dairy Science (2022)Child preferences and perceptions of fluid milk in school meal programs, Journal of Dairy Science (2021)Invited review: Maintaining and growing fluid milk consumption by children in school lunch programs in the United States, Journal of Dairy Science (2020)

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• Understanding the Dairy Matrix, Its Uses in Human Health and Precision Nutrition, and Why Dairy Is So Cool with Grace Lewis, PhD, and David Everett, PhD

  We’re celebrating dairy foods in the latest installment of Dairy Digressions! Host Matt Lucy sits down with two of the voices behind the recent Journal of Dairy Science special issue, “Dairy Foods: A Matrix for Human Health and Precision Nutrition.” Devoted to the latest science on dairy food nutrition, the selected articles in this issue emphasize the crucial role dairy plays in human health from infancy through adulthood. Join us with Grace Lewis, PhD, assistant professor of animal and food science and Dairy Innovation Hub Affiliate at the University of Wisconsin (UW) River Falls, Journal of Dairy Science section editor, and guest editor of the special issue, and David Everett, PhD, a principal investigator and international stakeholder–relationship manager at the Riddet Institute, incoming ADSA President, and author in the special issue. Grace introduces the special issue articles and the exciting studies happening around the dairy matrix, which is helping to usher in a new era of nutrition science. This new era recognizes that dairy can’t be reduced to its parts—we need a holistic understanding of how the interconnected matrix profoundly affects digestion, absorption, and how we fuel our bodies. Grace and David are passionate about advancing the science and spreading the story of dairy’s important part in human health. They delve into the history of dairy’s consumer perceptions and the evolving science around how we think about full-fat dairy products in particular. Milk is a whole food that delivers all essential amino acids, meaning it’s a complete protein that’s also highly digestible and a vital source of vitamins and minerals like calcium. David dives further into his article on understanding the physical structures in dairy foods that uniquely fuel the human body. He also answers our burning dairy questions, including what the true color of milk is, how we process the most valuable whey powder, and the scandalous history of margarine and butter. Finally, the group debates whether it’s okay to top your pizza with cottage cheese. Do you have a vote? Sound off in the comments on your favorite podcast platform! Episode Twenty-Seven Show NotesLearn more about Grace Lewis, PhD, and connect with her on LinkedIn, and learn more about David Everett, PhD, and connect with him on LinkedIn. Want even more of the latest dairy food science? Join us atthe 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, this June! Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.Catch up on the papers and presentation discussed in theepisode:Engaging today’s undergraduate students in the field of dairy science with a focus on the female student population, JDS Communications (2025) Dairy Foods: A Matrix for Human Health and Precision Nutrition—Introduction, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)Dairy Foods: A Matrix for Human Health and Precision Nutrition—The impact of the dairy food matrix on digestion and absorption, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)Dairy Foods: A Matrix for Human Health and Precision Nutrition—Effect of processing infant milk formula on protein digestion and gut barrier health (in vitro and preclinical), Journal of Dairy Science (2025)Dairy Foods: A Matrix for Human Health and Precision Nutrition—The relevance of a potential bioactive ingredient; The milkfat globule membrane, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

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• Feeding Fats and Fatty Acids, Finding Transition Balance, and Making Science Actionable with Adam Lock, PhD

  Growing up on a dairy farm in the United Kingdom, Adam Lock, PhD, always thought he would take over the family business and milk cows for a living. Instead, he now works to help dairy professionals increase their cattle’s health, productivity, and profitability through nutrition. Join us to find out how!Host Matt Lucy sits down with Adam, a professor and associate chair for farm operations in the Department of Animal Science, and interim chair of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University. He explains the central focus of his research on fatty acid digestion and metabolism in the dairy cow and the impact of bioactive fatty acids on animal production and human health. The two focus on Adam’s recent work optimizing fat-feeding strategies during the transition period. The previous dogma around feeding fresh cows recommended against supplementing fats, but that is now changing. Adam and his team are proving that particular blends of individual fatty acids can help fill a cow’s unique needs during this time, promote energy balance, and increase milk production. The pair also discuss Adam’s focus on making all of his work immediately applicable to farmers and industry professionals, and the importance of extension work in dairy. Finally, he shares his philosophies around ensuring his lab is fun for students, the best way to connect with and train students, and how to embrace the fortuitous twists and turns your career in science might take. Episode Twenty-Six Show NotesLearn more about Adam Lock and connect with himon LinkedIn.  Are you interested in learning applied nutrition strategiesdirectly from Adam? Join us at the 2025 ADSA AnnualMeeting in Louisville, Kentucky, this June! Adam is speakingduring our first-ever applied nutrition symposium and panel discussion focused on feeding high oleic soybeans and balancing diets for milk fat.Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.Catch up with the discussion of dairy nutrition dogma in Arandom view of the world: Because we are never absolutely sure of anything from Normand St-Pierre at the 2024 ADSA Annual Meeting. Catch up on the papers and presentation discussed in theepisode:Effects of raw and roasted high oleic soybeans on milk production of high-producing dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science (2024)Effects of increasing dietary inclusion of high oleic acid soybeans on milk production of high-producing dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science (2024) Milk production responses of dairy cows to fatty acid supplements with different ratios of palmitic and oleic acids in low-and high-fat basal diets, JDS Communications (2024) Increasing palmitic acid and reducing stearic acid content of supplemental fatty acid blends improves production performance of mid-lactation dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science (2024)Oleic acid abomasal infusion limits lipolysis and improves insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue from periparturient dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science (2023)

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• Muscle, Metabolism, and Milk—Dairy and Dairy Protein’s Role in Healthy Aging in Childhood and Beyond with Daniel Moore, PhD

  Join us as we sit down with Daniel Moore, PhD, professor of muscle physiology at the University of Toronto and invited speaker at the ADSA Annual Meeting. He explains how muscle serves as the body’s primary storage for amino acids, the building blocks crucial for immune function, and emphasizes its importance beyond just physical strength into healthy aging and metabolic health. In his lab, he’s working to understand which foods—and which types of high-quality protein—can best support recovery and muscle development, with a focus on childhood. Are children just little adults, for example, or are they entirely different? How can nutrition best support them after exercise and help with the healthy muscle growth that will carry them into adulthood? Matt and Daniel discuss the importance of milk as a whole food rich in essential amino acids that can underpin this critical muscle development, focusing on his interest in leucine. He highlights the importance of teamwork and mentorship in his lab, sharing his strategies for fostering a supportive atmosphere for his students, drawing from his time in industry at Nestlé’s research center in Switzerland (including his experience being woken up by cowbells). Finally, the two digress on the fascinating topic of muscle preservation in hibernating animals and consider its potential relevance to dairy cows. Episode Twenty-Five Show NotesLearn more about Daniel Moore and connect with him on LinkedIn.Are you interested in even more breaking dairy foods science? Join us at the 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, this June!The Journal of Dairy Science is releasing a forthcoming special issue, Dairy Foods: A Matrix for Human Health and Precision Nutrition, in April. Look out for the latest research on this topic! Catch up on the papers, news articles, and podcasts discussed in the episode:Postexercise dietary leucine retention for whole-body anabolism is greater with whey protein isolate and fish-derived protein hydrolysate than nonessential amino acids in trained young men, International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (2024) Estimation of skeletal muscle mass in 4-year-old children using the D3-creatine dilution method, Pediatric Research (2023) Protein quality and the food matrix: Defining optimal versus maximal meal-based protein intakes for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (2023)

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• Latest Updates on HPAI H5N1 and Dairy—What We Know Today About Bird Flu Viral Dynamics and Pathways with Diego Diel, DVM, PhD

  Since our last episode devoted to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreak in US dairy herds, the virus has passed some concerning new milestones—infecting over 900 herds, more than 60 people (including 1 death), and millions of domestic poultry flocks—and continues to present a pressing concern to dairy scientists and the dairy sector as a whole. To help our listeners keep their finger on the latest science, Matt sits down withDiego Diel, DVM, MS, PhD, a leading virologist and associate professor in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Diego and his lab team at Cornell were on the testing frontlines during the COVID-19 outbreak and are once again leading the charge in studying, documenting, and understanding H5N1—including via three impactful recent publications inJDS Communications andNature. He and Matt unpack the complexities of the H5N1 virus, explaining its unique components and genetic lineage, how it affects different cells across species, and tracking its evolution from wild birds to spreading in dairy cattle and spillovers to other avian and mammal hosts. The two discuss Diego’s recent work experimentally infecting dairy cows and calves to better understand the dynamics of the virus, detailing how it impacts the mammary gland, leading to severe mastitis and surprisingly high viral loads in milk. They review some of the remaining unknowns of the outbreak: Why haven’t we seen H5N1 in beef cattle? How is the virus spreading regionally from farm to farm? What is theexactroute of infection for dairy cows? Will vaccines be needed to stop its spread? The duo also cautiously explores the pandemic potential from the outbreak, outlining the current presentation of the virus in humans and clarifying that there is currently no human-to-human transmission. Thankfully, we have tools—such as antivirals that are effective against influenza in humans—in the toolbox to fight a pandemic if the virus were to mutate. While reassuring listeners that current data suggest a low risk, Diego emphasizes the importance of continued surveillance, testing, preventive measures, and research to understand how H5N1 might evolve.This episode ofDairy Digressions is a must-listen for anyone in the dairy sector seeking a comprehensive understanding of what we know today about the H5N1 outbreak. Episode Twenty-Four Show NotesLearn more aboutDiego Diel and connect with him onLinkedIn andX/Twitter.  Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.Are you interested in participating in ADSA’s next AnnualMeeting?Submit your abstract beforeFebruary 12, 2025, andjoin us in Louisville, Kentucky, this June!Catch up on the papers, news articles, and podcasts discussed in the episode:Hot topic: Influenza A H5N1 virus exhibits a broad host range, including dairy cows,JDS Communications(2024)Spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus to dairy cattle,Nature(2024)H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b dynamics in experimentally infected calves and cows,Nature(2025)The global H5N1 influenza panzootic in mammals,Nature (2025)Why hasn’t the bird flu pandemic started?,Science(2024)First bird flu death in U.S. reported in Louisiana,New York Times(2025)Update: Bird flu in the United States, Infectious Diseases Society of America (2025)Transmission of a human isolate of clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) virus in ferrets,Nature(2024)A human isolate of bovine H5N1 is transmissible and lethal in animal models,Nature(2024)A single mutation in bovine influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin switches specificity to human receptors,Science (2024)Genetic tracing of market wildlife and viruses at the epicenter of the COVID 19 pandemic,Cell(2024)

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