Dairy Products

Biology > Animal Husbandry > Dairy Products

Important dairy products are milk and dung. Milk is considered as a complete food. Dung is used for making manure.

Milk:

Constituents of Milk:

• Water: 87.3% (85.5 – 88.7%)
• Milk fat: 3.9 % (2.4 – 5.5%): In cow’s milk fat content is 4.5%-5.3% in buffalo’s milk it is up to 6.5%.
• Proteins: 3.25% (2.3-4.4%): Casein: 2.6% (1.7-3.5%), Serum proteins, Minor proteins. In cow’s milk protein content is 3.2 % and in buffalo’s milk it is 6.5 %.
• Carbohydrates (Lactose) 4.6% (3.8-5.3%): In cow’s milk carbohydrate content is 4.5% and in buffalo’s milk, it is 5.0%.
• Minerals: 0.65% (0.53-0.80%): • Cationic: K, Ca, Mg, K, Fe, P, Na …, Anionic: chloride, phosphate, citrate, carbonate
• Organic acids: 0.18% (0.13-0.22%): Citric, lactic, formic, acetic, oxalic
• Enzymes – peroxidase, catalase, phosphatase, lipase
• Vitamins – A, D, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, biotin and ascorbic acid.
• Gases – CO₂, N₂, O₂ (CO₂ lost after drawing)

Importance of Milk:

• Milk is good for the bones because it offers a rich source of calcium, a mineral essential for healthy bones and teeth. Cow’s milk is fortified with vitamin D, which also benefits bone health. Calcium and vitamin D help prevent osteoporosis.
• Cow’s milk is a source of potassium, which can enhance vasodilation and reduce blood pressure. Increasing potassium intake and decreasing sodium can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, 
• Vitamin D might play a role in cell growth regulation and cancer protection. 
• Adequate vitamin D levels support the production of serotonin, a hormone associated with mood, appetite, and sleep. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with depression and chronic fatigue.
• Cow’s milk is a rich source of high-quality protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. Whole milk is also a rich source of energy in the form of saturated fat, which can prevent muscle mass from being used for energy.
• Osteoarthritis of the knee currently has no cure, but researchers say drinking milk every day has been linked to reduced progression of the disease.  

Milk Products:

Milk, as drawn from the animals, is known as full cream milk. When the cream is separated and the remaining milk is called toned milk. This milk contains no fat and is known as skimmed milk. On the basis of fat contents the classification of various dairy products is as follows:

• Cream: It is prepared by churning milk, the fat comes on the top which is separated by draining out the liquid. It is known as cream with 10-70% fat contents.
• Curd: Milk is converted to curd due to bacterial activities.
• Butter Milk: It is the leftover liquid after removal of butter.
• Ghee: After heating butter, the water evaporates and fat contents are almost 100%.
• Condensed milk:
• Milk is concentrated by removing water contents with or without adding sugar. It has 31% of milk solids with 9% fats.
• Powdered milk: It is the powdered form of milk.
• Cheese: It is coagulated milk protein-casein with fat and water.
• Khoya: A desiccated milk product prepared by evaporating water contents and reducing the bulk to about 70-75%.

Dairy By-Product:

• Cattle Dung: Cattle dung is mainly used to make dung cakes for burning as fuels. It is used mainly in villages of India. The farmers also use cattle dung to produce biogas and the leftover residue as manure.

Dairy Industry in India:

Traditional Dairying:

The bulk of the country’s milk supply comes from the cattle owners in rural areas. In the old days, the farmers used to produce milk for their own consumption only. Milk was consumed directly or in the form of milk products like curd, buttermilk, butter, ghee, etc. within the family. In the absence of marketing facilities, surplus milk was generally turned into dairy products like ghee for sale in the villages or in the near-by town markets. Later on, this pattern changed and most of the surplus milk was either sold by the cattle-owners to the consumers, in the nearby areas or collected by the middlemen for sale in the urban markets.

Modernization of Dairy Industry:

From India’s first five year plan in 1951, the modernization of the dairy industry in India gained momentum. A need for planned and modern methods in dairy business felt to satisfy the need for milk for the growing population in urban areas.  The establishment of milk co-operatives boosted the dairy industry in India. Co-operatives combined freedom and opportunity for the small man with benefits of large scale management and organization. A big success story in India’s dairy development is of dairy cooperatives. In the forefront is Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (CCMMF), the apex body of farmers` milk cooperatives. It markets the milk products produced by its member cooperatives under the brand name Amul and Sagar. Milk is sourced from 15,301 village dairy cooperatives where more than three million farmers collect their milk production. Dairying has provided gainful employment to millions, primarily women, in the villages.

Dairy market in India:

The dairy products market in India has witnessed high growth in recent years on account of rising demand for milk and its products. India is not only the largest producer of milk but also the largest consumer of milk. Dairy food processing holds immense potential for high returns.

AMUL Story:

Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (CCMMF), the apex body of farmers` milk cooperatives markets the dairy products produced by its member cooperatives under the brand name Amul and Sagar. Milk is sourced from 15,301 village dairy cooperatives where more than three million farmers collect their milk production. Dairying has provided gainful employment to millions, primarily women, in the villages. Amul apart from being Asia`s largest milk brand is a vehicle for economic and social development through which farmers manage their own resources. In order to keep pace with the growing market and production base, GCMMF has planned a total investment of $600 million for milk processing and village level infrastructure enhancement in the next five years.

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Biology > Animal Husbandry > Dairy Products