Impact of processing on functional properties of milk components and products

Milk represents a challenging matrix to study and process because of its compositional complexity and variability. Small variations in concentrations of macro- and micro-nutrients are present in raw milk from a given species, while large variations occur between milks from different species. The processing of milk represents the opportunity to standardize its chemical composition and to control, diversify and innovate the functional properties of products. The basis of industrial processing and understanding functional properties is largely derived from researching cow milk. However, the dairy industry increasingly includes mammalian milks from species other than cow. The knowledge for processing cow milk is applicable to other milks but the translation of the broad base of dairy research is inhibited by the lack of reporting of absolute physicochemical measures that can be compared between studies and in particular, between cow and non-cow milks.