Biotechnological Applications in Dairy Products and Safety

Abstract

From harvest to distribution, the food industry’s application is as old as the industry itself. Conventional technologies such as pasteurization, homogenization, and direct microscopic count are well established and practiced mainly in the dairy industries. However, there is a need to evolve these technologies due to food security, changing consumer needs, environmental concerns, economic viability, and policy reforms. Apart from this, today’s food industry is also facing several challenges related to food safety, preservation, nutrition, and allergies. Therefore, the presently used technologies in the production, processing, packaging, and safety of various dairy products need to evolve further to overcome these challenges. Here we review the potential applications of food safety tools like hazard analysis and critical control point, sustainable packaging materials like polylactic acid, and non-conventional technologies such as ultrasound to solve current problems. This chapter discusses the role of various biotechnologies in food packaging, processing, and safety, focusing on different dairy products, from indigenous to by-products. The food industry also needs to identify and overcome socioeconomic challenges to proceed with these non-conventional, relatively new technologies from laboratory to industry.