Milk has been used by humans since the beginning of recorded time to provide both fresh and storable nutritious foods.
In some countries almost half the milk produced is consumed as fresh pasteurized whole, low-fat, or skim milk. However, most milk is manufactured into more stable dairy products of worldwide commerce, such as butter, cheese, dried milks, ice cream, and condensed milk.
Cow’s milk (bovine species) is by far the principal type used throughout the world. This section focuses on the processing of cow’s milk and milk products unless otherwise noted. In general, the processing technology described for cow’s milk can be successfully applied to milk obtained from other species
