Dairy Processing Course

Lesson 1 • Milk Collection and Cold Chain

Explains farm-to-plant logistics, cooling requirements, and transport hygiene. Establishes how cold chain integrity affects incoming milk quality.

Lesson 2 • Milk Composition and Chemistry

Covers fat, protein, lactose, minerals, and water fractions in bovine milk. Provides the chemical baseline needed for all downstream processing decisions.

Lesson 3 • Milk Microbiology Essentials

Identifies spoilage organisms, pathogens, and beneficial bacteria present in raw milk. Links microbial load to shelf life and safety outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Cleaning and Sanitization Principles

Covers soil types, detergent chemistry, and sanitizer modes of action. Underpins all equipment cleaning decisions made throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

Introduces HACCP principles applied to dairy processing environments. Students identify hazards, set critical limits, and establish monitoring procedures.

Lesson 3 • Allergen and Foreign Body Control

Addresses allergen management and physical contamination prevention in dairy plants. Completes the safety framework before students advance to processing operations.

Lesson 4 • Clean-in-Place Systems

Explains CIP circuit design, chemical sequencing, and validation methods. Connects automated cleaning to consistent product safety across processing lines.

Lesson 1 • Pasteurization Validation and Records

Details regulatory requirements for temperature recording, chart review, and process validation. Ensures students can demonstrate legal compliance for heat-treated products.

Lesson 2 • Ultra-High Temperature Processing

Covers direct and indirect UHT systems, aseptic filling, and shelf-life outcomes. Distinguishes UHT from pasteurization in terms of microbial and chemical effects.

Lesson 3 • Thermal Destruction of Microorganisms

Explains D-value, z-value, and F-value concepts for dairy pathogens. Provides the scientific basis for selecting time-temperature combinations in processing.

Lesson 1 • Homogenization Mechanisms

Explains fat globule disruption through high-pressure valve homogenizers. Connects homogenization to improved texture, stability, and whiteness in dairy products.

Lesson 2 • Centrifugal Separation Principles

Explains centrifugal force, Stokes' law, and disc stack separator design. Connects separation efficiency to fat globule size and milk temperature.

Lesson 3 • Standardization of Fat Content

Covers inline and batch standardization methods for achieving target fat levels. Links accurate standardization to regulatory compliance and product consistency.

Lesson 1 • Yogurt Manufacturing

Details set, stirred, and drinking yogurt processes from mix preparation to packaging. Connects fermentation parameters to final texture and acidity targets.

Lesson 2 • Sour Cream and Cultured Buttermilk

Explains cream standardization, culture selection, and body-building techniques for sour cream. Extends fermentation skills to cream-based and low-fat cultured products.

Lesson 3 • Fermentation Defects and Troubleshooting

Identifies causes of syneresis, off-flavors, slow acidification, and texture failures. Provides systematic diagnostic tools applicable across all fermented dairy lines.

Lesson 1 • Salting, Pressing, and Molding

Covers dry salting, brine salting, and pressing protocols for moisture and rind development. Connects salt uptake and pressing pressure to cheese body and safety.

Lesson 2 • Cheese Yield and Quality Evaluation

Introduces Van Slyke yield calculations, sensory grading, and defect identification. Closes the cheese chapter by linking process control to economic and quality outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Milk Preparation for Cheese

Covers standardization, pasteurization, and calcium addition for cheese milk. Establishes how milk composition directly controls curd formation and yield.

Lesson 4 • Coagulation and Curd Development

Explains enzymatic and acid coagulation mechanisms, cutting, and syneresis control. Links gel strength and cutting time to final cheese moisture and texture.

Lesson 1 • Specialty Cream Products

Covers whipping cream, half-and-half, and anhydrous milk fat production. Extends cream processing skills to value-added products with distinct functional requirements.

Lesson 2 • Cream Grading and Preparation

Covers cream quality assessment, neutralization, and pasteurization before churning. Establishes how incoming cream quality determines butter flavor and shelf life.

Lesson 3 • Batch and Continuous Churning

Compares traditional batch churning with continuous butter makers in design and output. Links churning parameters to butterfat recovery and moisture control.

Lesson 1 • Milk Powder Quality and Functionality

Defines dispersibility, solubility, bulk density, and flowability as key powder attributes. Connects process parameters to functional performance in end-use applications.

Lesson 2 • Membrane Filtration in Dairy

Introduces microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis for dairy streams. Connects membrane selection to protein concentration, lactose removal, and water recovery.

Lesson 3 • Sweetened Condensed Milk Production

Details sugar addition, crystallization control, and packaging for sweetened condensed milk. Extends concentration skills to a shelf-stable product with unique quality requirements.

Lesson 4 • Evaporation and Concentration

Explains falling-film evaporator design, multiple-effect systems, and vapor recompression. Connects evaporation efficiency to energy cost and concentrate quality.