Goat milk and dairy products have attracted more and more consumers’ attention because of their rich nutritional value and positive health benefits. Goat milk, the milk of the goat as a minor dairy species. Compared with cow milk, goat milk has higher dry matter content, better digestibility, and lower allergenicity, and is a good source of many bioactive ingredients. Therefore, goat milk can be used to manufacture health products suitable for various populations as a carrier of functional ingredients such as prebiotics and probiotics. This article reviews the cutting-edge research on the nutritional composition, functional properties and processing of goat milk, with a particular focus on the role and mechanism of action of goat milk products in the prevention and alleviation of various diseases. We hope that this review will provide a reference for the development of high-value goat milk products.

The optimal parameters for ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction of polysaccharides from Potentilla anserina L. using a mixture of cellulase, pectinase and papain (2:1:0.5) were determined as follows: enzyme dosage 49 U/g, ultrasonic time 100 min and pH 4.4. Under these conditions, the maximum yield of polysaccharide extract from Potentilla anserina L. (PAPE) of (6.89 ± 0.08)% was obtained. Furthermore, the effect of PAPE on yak yoghurt fermentation was investigated. The results showed that PAPE could significantly enhance the viable count and acid-producing capacity of Streptococcus thermophilus CICC 6038, Lactobacillus bulgaricus CICC 20247 and Lactobacillus fermentum HY01 in a dose-dependent manner. Yoghurt added with PAPE at 2 g/100 mL concentration had a hardness of (163.0 ± 9.9) g, a viscosity of (-182.9 ± 1.6) g·s, a consistency of (69.7 ± 1.7) g·s, a cohesiveness of (410.0 ± 6.0) g and it had a good taste, with a sensory score of 7.78; its antioxidant capacity in terms of scavenging capacity against hydroxyl, superoxide anion and 2,2’-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) cation radicals increased significantly compared with the control group. This study provides new ideas for improving the quality and added value of yak yogurt.

Sodium alginate (SA), due to its unique biodegradability and gel-forming properties, is used as an excellent wall material. It can achieve targeted delivery of probiotics into the body for the purpose of improving human microecology. However, SA hydrogels alone tend to have weak mechanical properties and are susceptible to external environmental attack, making it difficult to adequately protect the probiotic core. In order to overcome this bottleneck, in recent years, there have been literature reports on the modification of SA-based hydrogels based on physical, chemical, and synergistic modification of both. And other novel wall materials were introduced to be blended with SA to form a composite wall material with a denser structure and superior performance, which enhances the resistance and storage period stability of probiotics. Based on this, this paper outlines the structural properties and advantages and disadvantages of SA, and systematically summarises the effects and differences of different modification methods on the performances of SA-based microcapsules. It also meticulously combs out the wide application of SA-based probiotic microcapsules in the field of food, showing its great potential in improving food quality and promoting health. Finally, this paper objectively points out the problems and challenges facing the current research on SA-based microencapsulation delivery system. It provides new perspectives and strategies for the upgrading of the wall material of SA-based microencapsulation and the improvement of the efficiency of the probiotic delivery system.