Dairy Processing and Quality Assurance

Processing of dairy products gives small-scale dairy producers higher cash incomes than selling raw milk and offers better opportunities to reach regional and urban markets. Milk processing can also help to deal with seasonal fluctuations in milk supply. The transformation of raw milk into processed milk and products can benefit entire communities by generating off-farm jobs in milk collection, transportation, processing and marketing. Milk testing and quality control is an essential component of any milk processing industry whether small, medium or large scale. Milk being made up of 87% water is prone to adulteration by unscrupulous middlemen and unfaithful farm workers. Dairy processing is rising rapidly around the globe to meet the increasing appetite for milk and milk products from an ever-growing population. The present book gives a complete description of the processing and manufacturing stages of market milk and major dairy products from the receipt of raw materials to the packaging of the products, including quality assurance aspects. The book is prepared for professionals in the dairy industry as well to researchers, educators and students of dairy science for its contemporary information and experience-based applications.