Milk is a valuable nutritious food that, if untreated, will spoil within a few days. However, there are a number of preservation techniques that can be used at a small scale to extend its shelf life by several days, weeks or months. Some of these processing methods also produce foods that have different flavours and textures, which can increase the value of the milk when these products are sold. This Technical Brief gives an overview of the types of dairy processing that are possible at a small scale of operation. Details of the individual processing methods are given in other Technical Briefs in this series: pasteurised milk; butter and ghee; soured milk and yoghurt; cheese-making; ice cream production and dairy confectionery.
