Milk and Milk Products: Instant Notes

By Aparna Bhatt

MILK is the normal mammary secretion derived from complete milking of healthy milch animal. It is also defined as the whole, clean, fresh, lacteal secretion obtained by complete milking of one or more healthy milch animals. Milk has been evolved as an ideal source of nourishment to the young ones of a particular species producing it. In many parts of the world, cow is the major source of milk for human consumption. However, some other sources of milk like buffalo, goat, sheep, camel etc have also been employed for milk consumption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Agrihortico
• Release date: Mar 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393976219

Aparna Bhatt

Aparna Bhatt has graduated in Horticulture Science. Subsequently, she received her post graduate in Food Technology. After completing her studies, she got appointed as Assistant professor for teaching and guiding ‘Food Science’ students. She has a keen interest in teaching and writing. She is a freelance writer and agrihortico.com, a leading portal helps her in publishing and disseminating her ideas.

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1.Introduction

MILK is the normal mammary secretion derived from complete milking of healthy milch animal. It is also defined as the whole, clean, fresh, lacteal secretion obtained by complete milking of one or more healthy milch animals. Milk has been evolved as an ideal source of nourishment to the young ones of a particular species producing it. In many parts of the world, cow is the major source of milk for human consumption. However, some other sources of milk like buffalo, goat, sheep, camel etc have also been employed for milk consumption. In India, the principal sources of milk are cow and buffalo. Moreover, in few parts of the country some amount of goat milk is also being consumed.

India ranks high in milk production with a largest livestock population in the world. The average production and per capita availability of milk in India is given below:

Source: Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI

The term ‘market milk’ refers to the fluid whole milk that is sold to individuals usually for direct consumption. In India, generally the term ‘milk’ refers to cow or buffalo milk, or a combination of the two. The proportion of cow, buffalo and goat milk to the total milk production in India is given in the table below:

Source: F.A.O. Production Year Book, 1974.

2.Nutritive Value of Milk

The story of milk goes back to the beginning of civilization itself. Even in prehistoric times cattle were domesticated for milk, ploughing and other such purposes but at the same time were considered sacred and even worshipped in India. Milk is an ideal food having a very high nutritive value and is also one of the most essential of all foods. It is one of the most complete single foods available in nature for health and promotion of growth. Milk is often regarded as being nature's most complete food. It is one of the most crucial parts of our diet as it provides many of the nutrients which are essential for the growth of the human body. Being an excellent source of body building proteins, vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium milk has gained special importance in our diet at different stages of life.

Fermented-milk products such as yoghurt and soured milk contain bacteria from the Lactobacilli group. This bacterium is present naturally in the digestive tract and has a cleansing and healing effect. Hence, the introduction of fermented products to our diet can help prevent certain yeasts and bacteria which may cause illness. Many people suffer from a condition known as 'lactose intolerance' which means that they are unable to digest the milk fat (lactose). Such people can, however,