Questions and answers

Dukat BIO milk is a UHT milk produced according to the strict regulations and standards of organic agricultural production, defined by the Act on Organic Production and Labelling of Organic Products (NN 139/2010). Dukat BIO milk comes from Croatian dairy farms certified for the production of organic milk.

"BIO", "organic" and "ECO" are labels which can only be put on products produced in accordance with the strict regulations and standards of organic agricultural production, defined by the Act on Organic Production and Labeling of Organic Products (NN 139/2010). This act is harmonized with the EU legislation.

Dukat BIO milk is produced following the principles of organic agriculture, which has positive impact on soil health and fertility, clean water and air and biodiversity.
By choosing organic products, including Dukat BIO milk, we show a high level of ecological awareness and make an important, personal contribution to the transformation of conventional agriculture to sustainable, organic agriculture in Croatia. The transformation of each acre of farms into organically cultivated land is the pledge for a better future for us and our children.

The label "Organic Product of Croatia" is the guarantee that the product was made following the regulations and standards of organic production. The label "Organic Product of Croatia" is issued to producers by supervisory authorities, i.e. controlling stations authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development.
Earning the label "Organic Product of Croatia" applies to the whole system of production together with expert supervision and certification.
The right to put the label "Organic Product of Croatia" on products is granted only to the producers who were given a one-year confirmation document by the legal entity responsible for the confirmation process and the control of declaration, organic origin and product quality.
The relevant ministry authorizes the controlling stations, legal entities and laboratories to control the organic agricultural production.

All Dukat milks, fresh, UHT and BIO milk, proudly bear the label "Milk from Croatian Dairy Farms" given by the Croatian Agricultural Agency, which guarantees that the milk is of high quality and comes from local farms.
We purchase organically produced milk from Croatian producers, from dairy farms located in Slavonia. We are proud that the first organic dairy farms are the ones owned by Dukat's sub-contractors.
The first principle of Dukat's socially responsible business policy is to encourage the production of milk in Croatia and buy and process milk produced on local dairy farms.

Organic milk production implies a complex cattle breeding system based on strict regulations and standards of organic farming. Dairy farms certified for organic milk production are a closed agroecosystem which includes a number of processes: from organically grown plants for animal feed, production of natural soil fertilizers, organic and integrative animal nutrition to organic milk production. Dairy cows in organic milk production eat integrative, organically grown feed produced following the standards of organic agriculture.

The legislation of the Republic of Croatia is harmonized with EU legislation.

The number HR-EKO-02, under the label "Organic Product of Croatia", is the code number of the First Organic Station, a controlling authority authorized for certification and supervision of subjects registered as organic producers.
The number 00488/0411-1238 printed under the expiry date of Dukat BIO milk is the number of the confirmation document for the registration of KIM Dairy Karlovac in the register of organic farmers and food producers.

If Dukat is purchasing and processing organically produced milk and consumers choose Dukat BIO milk, together we encourage the transformation of conventional to sustainable, organic agricultural production, which makes a positive impact on healthy and fertile soil, clean air and water and biodiversity.
Find more information on organic agriculture on the website of First Organic Station, the controlling authority authorized for the certification and supervision of subjects registered as organic producers - prvaekoloska.hr, or in the Act on Organic Production and Labeling of Organic Products (NN 139/2010) and related regulations.

Pasteurization is a technological process of milk treatment by heating it to the temperatures below 100º C, where all harmful micro-organisms are destroyed and health and safety of products ensured.

Sterilization is a process of milk treatment by heating it at temperatures above 100º C. The process has been optimized so as to preserve all valuable ingredients of milk and to completely destroy all microorganisms and their spores.

Milk fat has the form of globules or droplets whose approximate size is 20μm. Homogenization is the process of breaking up milk fat drops and making them even in order to achieve a greater stability of emulsion. The size of milk fat drops is reduced to 1-5 μm after homogenization. Homogenized milk has a more intensive white colour, fuller taste, and there is no separate layer of milk fat on the surface.

Whether it is Dukat fresh or UHT milk, Mlijeko velebitskih pašnjaka milk or KIM's milk, all of them are homogenized. Will the information about homogenization be written on the product package or not depends on the legislation in the countries where milk is placed on the market.

Extended shelf life is achieved by heat treatment of milk, the process of short-term sterilization in which the milk is exposed to temperature above 100 ºC for a few seconds. This destroys all vegetative forms of microorganisms and their spores, but keeps the nutritional value of products fully preserved. After such treatment the products are filled in multi-layered Tetra Pak packages in highly hygienic conditions. Before opening, UHT products can be stored at room temperature. However, once opened they need to be kept in the refrigerator.
Dukat UHT dairy products: UHT milk, 7 Vitamins milk, Omega 3 milk, Calcium+ and Lagano jutro milk, Chocolate milk, Whipping cream, Cooking cream and sauces.

Dukat and Sirela branded products, produced in Croatia, are made from the highest quality domestic milk. Dukat is the biggest buyer of fresh raw milk in Croatia with 43% market share of the overall milk purchase in Croatia.

Glycemic index - GI factor - refers to the categorization of food according to its effects on blood glucose levels. The types of foods that have a glycemic index of 1-50 fall into the low GI group. Foods that have GI from 50 to 75 belong to the medium GI group, while those with 75-100 GI belong to the foods with high glycemic index.

Following the trends in food industry, as well as the wishes and needs of our consumers, Dukat has developed a series of highly nutritious yet low-calorie products such as Dukat UHT milk with 0.5% and 0.9% fat content, Dukat fresh milk with 1.5% fat content, ab kultura (natur and fruit flavours), a series of b.Aktiv LGG products, Dukat Posni sir, Dukatela Light dairy spread and Dukat drinkable yogurts with 0.5% fat content.

Gluten is a protein contained in the cereals, such as wheat, rye and barley, and the body's intolerance to this protein is manifested as a disease called celiac disease. The result is a typical gluten enteropathy that appears in some people and causes serious damages to the lining of the small intestine, decreasing the reabsorption of food.

Dukat products that contain any allergen or gluten bear an indication of the presence of allergen/ gluten on the product package. Products containing gluten are labelled as "contains gluten" on the package, at the end of the list of ingredients.

Prebiotics are indigestible food ingredients - dietary fibres of vegetable origin, mainly from chicory roots, which favourably affect the host's organism by selective stimulation of growth and/or activity of one (Bifidobacterium bifidum) or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, which has a beneficial effect on the host's health.

UHT milk Calcium + is enriched with prebiotics inulin and oligofructose. These are natural, indigestible dietary fibres which stimulate absorption of calcium from the intestines. Inulin is a polysaccharide isolated from chicory roots and oligofructose is extracted in the process of enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin. It has been clinically proven that prebiotics inulin and oligofructose stimulate growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system and promote the absorption of calcium from milk.

UHT Calcium+ milk has the same content of natural calcium from milk as other types of milk, but it is enriched with prebiotics inulin and oligofructose which enhance absorption of calcium from milk into the body, especially bones. Therefore, Dukat Calcium+ milk is recommended as a measure of osteoporosis prevention, and the Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has approved the health claim on the product: "More calcium in your body."

Omega-3 fatty acids are long-chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids that have a major health impact thanks to their positive effects on the cardiovascular system. The most important source of omega-3 fatty acids is a sea fish.

Dukat Omega 3 UHT milk is recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular ailments.
It helps reduce triglyceride levels in the blood, reduces the risk of blood clots and helps reduce blood pressure. The Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has confirmed the effectiveness of Omega 3 UHT milk by approving the health claim on the product: "Helps maintain healthy heart and blood vessels".

Children and young people are recommended to drink full-fat milk. Milk is one of the most balanced foods with regard to the content of nutrients essential for normal growth and development of the organism. Regular consumption can provide high-quality proteins, calcium and vitamins. Skimmed milk is recommended for adults in order to maintain and regulate their body weight or when they suffer from various health problems.

It is important to emphasize that calcium from milk and dairy products is more readily absorbed by the body than calcium from other foodstuffs. Therefore it is recommended to daily consume dairy products, especially products such as UHT Dukat Calcium+ milk with addition of prebiotics inulin and oligosaharoze, which improve the absorption of milk calcium in the body.

UHT milk Lagano jutro is recommended to consumers with intolerance to milk sugar, lactose. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest milk sugar lactose due to the lack of the enzyme lactase, which is found naturally in the small intestine. Although people are born with a sufficient amount of lactase, production of this enzyme can decrease or even completely stop with age and such people are unable to digest milk sugar from dairy products. It is precisely this group of consumers that is targeted by the Lagano jutro milk with 92% reduced lactose content in comparison to standard milk.

Lactose in Lagano jutro milk was slowly degraded by means of enzyme lactase into simpler sugars, glucose and galactose, during the manufacturing process and thus facilitates the digestion of milk for consumers with lactose intolerance.

Lagano jutro milk is sweeter because lactose, the milk sugar, was degraded into simple sugars glucose and galactose, which are much sweeter than lactose. Consumers with diabetes can consume Lagano jutro milk because it does not contain any added sugar, just milk sugar.

Probiotics are single or mixed cultures of live microorganisms added to food and they have a beneficial effect on the host organism in the sense of improving the balance of their indigenous intestinal micro flora. Most commonly used probiotics in dairy products are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 (LGG).

LGG (Latin: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, ATCC 53103) is a bacteria of lactic acid fermentation which can be found in the intestine of approximately 8% of people as part of their normal intestinal micro flora. In 1985 Boston microbiologists, professors Goldin and Gorbach, isolated LGG from the intestinal tract of healthy humans and named it LGG after their initials.
In order for a microorganism to be considered probiotic, it must meet several criteria, one of which is surviving the passage through the stomach, where pH is very low, from 1.5 to 3. LGG is resistant to stomach acid, as well as to bile.

LGG resides in the small intestine. It has a brilliant capacity of adhesion (attachment) to the villi of the small intestine and thus temporarily colonizes the digestive system.

The daily intake of any unit packaging of b.Aktiv LGG boosts your natural immunity. Any packaging of b.Aktiv LGG contains the recommended daily dose of LGG amounting to 10⁸ CFU (number of viable microorganisms).

LGG stimulates the intestinal immune system and thereby strengthens the natural immunity. It also enriches the digestive micro flora, reducing the gastrointestinal disorders, as well as viral and bacterial infections.

LGG has been clinically proven to strengthen the immune system, enrich the intestinal microflora, reduce gastrointestinal disorders, ease the consequences of antibiotic therapies, help with allergies, and reduce the incidence of colon cancer.

LGG is the most researched probiotic microorganism (more than 450 papers until 2009) with a series of clinical confirmations of the efficacy and safety of its application in a daily diet.

b.Aktiv LGG products do not contain gluten and are suitable for everyday diet of patients with celiac disease.

There are more than 400 different species of microorganisms in the composition of intestinal micro flora which must be in balance in order for the body to function properly. It is well known that antibiotics do not act selectively, meaning that apart from removing pathogens, they also distort the composition of normal intestinal micro flora. LGG is resistant to most antibiotics and produces favourable conditions for indigenous micro flora in the small intestine.

Accordingly, it is desirable to consume b.Aktiv LGG products during and after treatment with antibiotics.

SenSia and b.Aktiv LGG, like all other dairy products, contain about 120 mg of calcium on 100 g of the product if it is natur product, while fruit products, depending on the fruit content, contain somewhat less calcium.

Sucralose is a sweetener used in aromatic, fruit flavours of ab kultura. Sucralose is the only sweetener made from ordinary sugar and 600 times sweeter. It has no energy value, no effect on insulin secretion and carbohydrate metabolism.

Dukat SenSia includes a series of fermented dairy products with an added probiotic milk culture, Bifidus Naturalis, which regulates digestion the natural way.

Bifidus Naturalis is the commercial name for the probiotic microorganism Bifidobacterium Bifidum.

A daily dose is adjusted to the packaging so that each Dukat SenSia package contains the recommended daily dose, i.e. 109 living cells of probiotic culture Bifidus Naturalis. The exception is 1 kg SenSia package, where we recommend the consumption of 330 grams of product per day.

Dukat SenSia can be consumed at any time, before or after a meal.
For the natural regulation of digestion it is important to daily take the recommended dose of SenSia products.

Functioning of a SenSia product is individual. Most consumers, if they consume SenSia regularly in addition to a balanced and varied diet and healthy lifestyle, notice an improvement after two to three weeks of daily consumption of product.

For the regulation of digestion, we primarily recommend SenSia series of products.
b.Aktiv LGG series of products strengthens the natural immunity and balances the intestinal microflora.

Consumers with diabetes are recommended SenSia natur.
Fruit-flavoured SenSia series of products contains sugar.

Gluten is not contained in SenSia products natur 125 g, 330 g and 1 kg and SenSia Apple, Pear, and Grapes with fibre, 330 g. Other products from the SenSia series contain gluten, which is indicated on the product label.

SenSia can be given to children as of the 1^st year of life.

SenSia products are recommended for a daily consumption and have no harmful effects on the body.

Whipping cream is recommended to be stored at the temperature of +4° C for at least 8 hours and then to be beaten with an electric mixer in a high, narrow container.

All cheeses of Dukat and Sirela brand are produced from pasteurized milk.

In the production of Dukat and Sirela cheeses, we use only the rennet of microbial origin. Dukat and Sirela brands of cheese are suitable for a vegetarian diet as well.

Dukat 1st class butter is made from pasteurized heavy cream. It does not contain any additives, as regulated by the provisions of the Ordinance on Food Additives (NN 62/10).

Dukat 1st class butter contains at least 82% milk fat, i.e. 82 g milk fat per 100 g of butter.

Modified starch is native starch whose technical characteristics are enhanced by physical and chemical treatments, e.g. the ability to bind water.