Traditional Dairy Products

Lesson 1. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADITIONAL DAIRY PRODUCTS

Module 1. Introduction to traditional dairy products

Lesson 1
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADITIONAL DAIRY PRODUCTS

1.1 Introduction

Milk plays a significant role as a source of animal protein in the average Indian diet which is predominantly vegetarian. Because of higher ambient temperatures prevailing in Indian sub-continent, ancient Indians developed more stable products from milk for conservation of its nutritional goodness. So the ethnic dairy foods, commonly termed as traditional or Indian indigenous milk products, were developed over ages utilizing locally available equipment, utensils and manufacturing procedures.

1.2 Definition of Traditional Indian Dairy Products

Traditional Indian dairy products or Indian Indigenous milk products can be defined as all milk products which are native of India and which were evolved over ages utilizing locally available fuels and cooking ware.

The wide array of Indigenous milk products are poised to take strong industrial footing in the years to come with the development and application of mechanized manufacturing technologies and unit operations. A wide range of Indian milk sweets made in different parts of the country are very popular amongst all male and female, young and old population. No special event or a celebration is considered complete without serving and distributing the sweets to relatives and friends which are essentially made with the indigenous dairy products as a base.

1.3 Status, Scope & Challenges of Traditional Milk Products

Traditional Indian Dairy products are those products which are known in this country for ages. Milk and milk products formed the main food of Vedic Indians. Khoa sweets have been the item of choice for centuries in India. In early Buddhist and Jain eras, there is a mention that sweets were prepared from thickened milk named as Sihakesara and Morandeku. The rich people used to enjoy such sweets at the end of their meals. Buddha allowed his followers to carry some sweets during journeys, where it was difficult to get food stuff. In the Maurya period, the sweets were prepared from concentrated milk with the addition of honey, jaggery or sugar. In the post-Maurya period (AD 750 to 1200), milk was used in various forms. The milk was drunk when half of the quantity was evaporated. The milk was very much relished when the quantity of milk was reduced to one third of the original quantity. When milk was reduced to one-sixth of the original quantity, it was used for preparing sweets and when it was reduced to one-eighth, it was called Sarkara (Powder). The ancient medical literature states that the physical and mental happiness of individuals depend on the food they take.

India has become the largest producer of milk in the world. It produces more than 118 million tons of milk annually, as in the year 2011. Milk production in India is highly seasonal. The availability of milk is abundant after monsoons and all through the winter which is flush season, the quantity of milk in the summer declines which is lean season. It is happening over the centuries in our country. When we have too much production of any commodities without a matching demand, price come down and that is where the indigenous dairy products play their balancing role. Surplus milk in the evening is boiled and converted into dahi, then to makkhan and finally to ghee which has a shelf life of about one year.

In India only 5-6% of total milk is converted into western type of products in the organized sector. Nearly half of the milk produced in India (50-55%) is utilized for the manufacture of traditional milk products and approximately 45.7% is used as fluid milk. Only about 20% of the total milk produced is processed by the organized dairy sector. Collection of the entire surplus milk from about 5.8 lakh villages and its processing requires huge capital investment on equipments, buildings and other infrastructure. The milk that is supplied in the cities and towns is very expensive as a result of high costs of procurement, processing and packaging and due to losses because of souring of milk. Conversion of surplus milk into indigenous milk products in and around production areas is least expensive and more profitable. A large proportion of the milk is converted into indigenous dairy products such as khoa, chhana, paneer and khoa and chhana based sweets.

1.3.1 Pattern of milk utilization in India

The milk plants in India usually receive 2.5% substandard milk due to unhygienic conditions of milk production, existence of middle man and adulteration, high ambient temperature, inadequate cooling facilities and transport arrangement and lack of appreciation for production of A grade milk. The rejection of substandard milk adversely affects the commercial interest of milk producers especially during summer. The high acid unsold milk can be profitably converted into danedar (granular) khoa for the preparation of Kalakand, Birthday cakes, Toffee and related sweets, etc. Traditional products account for over 40% of all dairy products consumed in the country. Due to lack of adequate processing and preservation methods, the manufacture and trading these products is confined to Halwais. Although authentic statistical data are not available, it is estimated that the value of Khoa and chhana based sweets if put together would be more than Rs.100, 000 million which is double the value of milk handled by the organized dairy sector.

Table 1.1 Milk utilization pattern in India

1.4 Swot Analysis of Traditional Dairy Product Sector

Strengths

• Traditional dairy products enjoy mass appeal.

• Simple manufacturing technologies which are well established for small-scale operations.

• Skilled manpower for cottage scale operations available.

• Lower cost of production and high profit margins.

• Markets are well established

• Easily available market

• Traditional dairy products require low infrastructure and operational overhead costs

• An optimistic demand profile-consumption likely to grow at an annual rate more than 20%

• Permit significant value addition, unparalleled by other dairy products

• Utilization of substandard of milk

• Use of low grade energy

• Inexpensive infrastructure and equipment

• Approximate for small scale sector

• Utilization of surplus milk.

Weaknesses

• Lack of scientifically documented sensory, physico-chemical and microbiological profile analysis of traditional dairy products that limits standardization of processes for large-scale manufacture and design of equipments

• Manufacturing operations are predominantly confirmed to the cottage/ domestic scales

• People involved in manufacture of traditional dairy products (Halwais) lack adequate knowledge of good hygienic practices.

• Gross lack of packaging systems that severely limit to shelf life.

• Lack of quality/ legal standards and quality assurance systems.

• Regional specificity of traditional dairy product.

• Lack of production statistics based on realistic surveys provides difficulties in policy planning.

Opportunities

• Traditional dairy product sector offers vast scope for innovation, value addition and product diversification.

• Burgeoning consumer base and greater demand due to higher purchasing power of the newly emerging middle class.

• Greater access to global market under WTO regimen.

• Expert potential to the ethnic markets.

• Opportunities exist for financing and establishing modern small scale units to encourage restructuring of unorganized sector.

Threats

• Products prepared by scaled-up processes/new equipments may differ in sensory quality and may not find consumers acceptance.

• Modern methods of manufacture may raise production cost.