Dairy Technology Course

Lesson 1 • Physical Properties of Milk

Quantifies density, viscosity, surface tension, and optical properties of milk. These parameters govern equipment design and process control decisions.

Lesson 2 • Milk Microbiology Basics

Introduces microbial groups naturally present in milk and their metabolic activities. Sets the foundation for understanding spoilage and preservation strategies.

Lesson 3 • Factors Affecting Milk Composition

Identifies breed, season, feed, and health variables that shift milk composition. Enables technologists to anticipate raw material variability.

Lesson 4 • Milk Composition and Structure

Covers the major and minor constituents of bovine milk and their molecular organization. Provides the chemical baseline needed for all subsequent processing chapters.

Lesson 1 • Milk Transport and Reception

Addresses tanker design, route planning, and reception-bay procedures at the dairy plant. Ensures cold chain integrity from farm to processing.

Lesson 2 • On-Farm Cooling and Storage

Covers rapid cooling principles, bulk tank operation, and temperature monitoring. Cooling within two hours of milking is the primary microbial control at farm level.

Lesson 3 • Hygienic Milking Practices

Details pre-milking preparation, teat sanitation, and equipment hygiene protocols. Directly reduces microbial load entering the collection system.

Lesson 4 • Raw Milk Quality Testing

Introduces platform tests and laboratory methods used to accept or reject incoming milk. Connects quality thresholds to regulatory food safety standards.

Lesson 1 • Centrifugal Separation Principles

Explains Stokes' law and centrifugal force as the basis for cream separation. Connects particle size and density differences to separation efficiency.

Lesson 2 • Homogenization Principles

Describes fat globule disruption mechanisms in high-pressure homogenizers and their effect on emulsion stability. Explains why homogenization prevents cream separation in retail milk.

Lesson 3 • Cream and Skim Milk Standardization

Covers fat standardization methods to achieve target fat content in fluid milk products. Includes inline blending and Pearson square calculations.

Lesson 4 • Homogenization Effects on Product Quality

Evaluates sensory, nutritional, and processing consequences of homogenization. Addresses both benefits and undesired effects such as increased oxidation susceptibility.

Lesson 1 • Heat Treatment Effects on Milk

Quantifies changes in proteins, vitamins, flavor, and color caused by heating. Balances safety requirements against nutritional and sensory quality targets.

Lesson 2 • UHT Processing and Aseptic Filling

Details direct and indirect UHT systems and the aseptic packaging requirements that follow. Enables production of commercially sterile, ambient-stable milk products.

Lesson 3 • Pasteurization Methods and Equipment

Compares batch, HTST, and extended-shelf-life pasteurization in terms of temperature-time profiles and equipment design. Covers plate heat exchanger operation and flow diversion.

Lesson 4 • Process Validation and Monitoring

Covers temperature sensor calibration, data logging, and regulatory validation protocols for heat treatment systems. Ensures continuous compliance with food safety standards.

Lesson 1 • Other Cultured Milk Products

Covers production of cultured buttermilk, sour cream, kefir, and koumiss using distinct culture systems. Broadens fermentation skills beyond yogurt to diverse product categories.

Lesson 2 • Yogurt Texture and Stability

Explains the role of protein network formation, hydrocolloids, and process parameters in yogurt body and syneresis control. Enables troubleshooting of texture defects.

Lesson 3 • Fermentation Process Control

Addresses pH monitoring, titratable acidity measurement, and incubation environment management during fermentation. Ensures consistent product quality across production batches.

Lesson 4 • Starter Culture Science

Covers taxonomy, metabolism, and interactions of lactic acid bacteria used in dairy fermentation. Understanding culture biology is prerequisite to controlling fermentation outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Curd Cutting, Cooking, and Draining

Covers curd knife geometry, cutting size targets, scalding temperatures, and whey drainage methods. These mechanical steps determine moisture content and texture of the final cheese.

Lesson 2 • Processed and Analog Cheese Production

Covers emulsifying salt function, blending of natural cheeses, and cooking conditions for processed cheese manufacture. Includes analog cheese formulation with non-dairy fats.

Lesson 3 • Cheese Ripening and Flavor Development

Explains proteolysis, lipolysis, and secondary fermentation reactions that develop cheese flavor and texture during aging. Covers ripening room conditions and maturation monitoring.

Lesson 4 • Salting and Pressing

Details dry salting, brine salting, and pressing regimes and their effects on moisture, rind formation, and flavor development. Salting also controls surface microbiology.

Lesson 1 • Butter Composition and Quality

Quantifies fat, moisture, and salt content requirements and their effect on texture, spreadability, and oxidative stability. Connects composition to regulatory compositional standards.

Lesson 2 • Cream Product Manufacturing

Details production of whipping cream, half-and-half, coffee cream, and clotted cream with their distinct fat content and heat treatment requirements.

Lesson 3 • Cultured and Specialty Butters

Covers diacetyl-producing cultures for cultured butter, whey butter production, and anhydrous milk fat manufacture. Expands product range beyond standard sweet cream butter.

Lesson 4 • Butter Churning and Working

Explains phase inversion from oil-in-water cream to water-in-oil butter during churning and the role of working in moisture distribution. Covers batch and continuous churning systems.

Lesson 1 • Whey Processing and Valorization

Addresses whey concentration, demineralization, and fractionation to produce whey powder, WPC, and WPI. Converts a processing byproduct into high-value nutritional ingredients.

Lesson 2 • Evaporation Technology

Covers falling-film evaporator design, multiple-effect energy economy, and thermocompression for milk concentration. Evaporation is the primary step before spray drying.

Lesson 3 • Spray Drying Principles and Equipment

Explains atomization, drying chamber airflow, and powder separation in spray drying systems. Drying conditions determine moisture content, particle size, and solubility of the powder.

Lesson 4 • Condensed and Evaporated Milk

Covers sweetened condensed milk formulation and sterilized evaporated milk production including homogenization and in-can sterilization. Addresses crystallization control in condensed milk.