Introducti Milk is as ancient as mankind itself. as it is the substance created to feed the mammalian infant. All species of mammals, from man to whales, produce milk for this purpose. Many centuries ago, perhaps as early as 6000-8000 BC, ancient man learned to domesticate pecies of animals for the provision of milk to be consumed by them These included cows (genus Bos), buffaloes, sheep, goats, and camels, all of which are still used in various parts of the world for the production of milk for human consumption Fermented products such as cheeses were dicovered by accident, but their history has also een documented for many centuries, as has the production of concentrated milks, butter, and even ice cream Technological advances have only come about very recently in the history of milk consumption, and our generations will be the ones cred ited for having turned milk processing from an art to a science. The availability and distribution of milk and milk products today in the modern world is a blend of the centuries old knowledge of traditional milk products with the application of modern science and technology The role of milk in the trad itional diet has varied greatly in different regions of the world The tropical countries have not been trad itional milk consumers, whereas the more northern regions of the world, Europe(especially Scand navia)and North America, have trad itionally consumed far more milk and milk products in their diet. In tropical countries where high temperatures and lack of refrigeration has led to the inabil ity to produce and store fresh milk, milk has trad itionally been preserved through means other than refrigeration, including immediate consumption of warm milk after milking, by boiling milk, or by conversion into more stable products such as fermented milks World-wide Milk Consumption and production The total milk consumption(as fluid milk and processed products) per person varies widely from highs in Europe and North America to lows in Asia. However, as the various regions of the world become more integrated through travel and migration, these trends are changing, a factor which needs to be considered by product developers and marketers of milk and milk products in various countries of the world Even within regions such as Europe, the custom of milk consumption has varied greatly Table 1 illustrates milk per capita consumption information from various countries of the world. Several trends can be observed from these data. Consider for example the high consumption of fluid milk in countries like Ireland and Sweden compared to France and Italy where cheeses have tended to dominate milk consumption. When you also consider the climates of these regions, it would appear that the culture of producing more stable products (cheese)in hotter climates as a means of preservation is evident4 Introduction Milk is as ancient as mankind itself, as it is the substance created to feed the mammalian infant. All species of mammals, from man to whales, produce milk for this purpose. Many centuries ago, perhaps as early as 6000-8000 BC, ancient man learned to domesticate species of animals for the provision of milk to be consumed by them. These included cows (genus Bos), buffaloes, sheep, goats, and camels, all of which are still used in various parts of the world for the production of milk for human consumption. Fermented products such as cheeses were dicovered by accident, but their history has also been documented for many centuries, as has the production of concentrated milks, butter, and even ice cream. Technological advances have only come about very recently in the history of milk consumption, and our generations will be the ones credited for having turned milk processing from an art to a science. The availability and distribution of milk and milk products today in the modern world is a blend of the centuries old knowledge of traditional milk products with the application of modern science and technology. The role of milk in the traditional diet has varied greatly in different regions of the world. The tropical countries have not been traditional milk consumers, whereas the more northern regions of the world, Europe (especially Scandinavia) and North America, have traditionally consumed far more milk and milk products in their diet. In tropical countries where high temperatures and lack of refrigeration has led to the inability to produce and store fresh milk, milk has traditionally been preserved through means other than refrigeration, including immediate consumption of warm milk after milking, by boiling milk, or by conversion into more stable products such as fermented milks. World-wide Milk Consumption and Production The total milk consumption (as fluid milk and processed products) per person varies widely from highs in Europe and North America to lows in Asia. However, as the various regions of the world become more integrated through travel and migration, these trend s are changing, a factor which needs to be considered by product developers and marketers of milk and milk products in various countries of the world. Even within regions such as Europe, the custom of milk consumption has varied greatly. Table 1 illustrates milk per capita consumption information from various countries of the world. Several trends can be observed from these data. Consider for example the high consumption of fluid milk in countries like Ireland and Sweden compared to France and Italy where cheeses have tended to dominate milk consumption. When you also consider the climates of these regions, it would appear that the culture of producing more stable products (cheese) in hotter climates as a means of preservation is evident