Milk and Milk Products Technology

Description

Milk has been an important food for man since the domestication of cattle and the adoption of a pastoralist agriculture. It is also the most versatile of the animal-derived food commodities and is a component of the diet in many physical forms. Milk is as ancient as humankind itself, as it is the substance created to feed the mammalian infant. All species of mammals, from humans to whales, produce milk for this purpose. Many centuries ago, perhaps as early as 6000-8000 BC, ancient peoples learned to domesticate species of animals for the provision of milk to be consumed by them. Cream may be defined as that portion of milk which is rich in milk fat or that portion of milk into which fat has been gathered and which contains a large portion of milk fat, or when milk fat is concentrated into a fraction of the original milk. Butter is principally composed of milk fat, moisture, salt and curd. It also contains small amount of lactose, acids, phospholipids, air, microorganisms, enzymes and vitamins. The demand for quality milk products is increasing throughout the world. Food patterns are changing from eating plant protein to animal protein due to increasing incomes around the world, and the production of milk and milk products is expanding with leaps and bounds. The purpose of this text book is a sincere venture and effort to provide the basic fundamentals in a compact, simple, varied, and vivid picture of Milk and Milk products Technology.