Optimising the Quality Management System in Dairy Processing

Abstract

Milk has a solid reputation as a staple food since time immemorial. It is a complete food in its raw form, high in fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, including calcium. While the most beneficial first food for mammals is mammalian milk until weaning, cow’s milk and dairy derivatives are considered significant nutritional components in the human diet. While milk consumption has in fact sharply declined in recent decades, the consumption of liquid milk derivatives and dairy products has steadily increased. Quality in terms of product, process and the environment in a milk production plant can be measured through performance, reliability and durability. The quality management system, in whatever form that may take within a plant, is the pinnacle in ensuring how one organisation can differentiate from its competitors. Quality systems and analytical testing protocols, especially in the dairy industry, are seldom quantified or fine-tuned to guarantee their efficiency. Furthermore, the impacts of quality systems on process, product, and environmental optimisation are frequently overlooked. This chapter reviews the activities that allow for the optimisation of quality systems in a dairy processing environment. The outcomes of which highlight the importance of process based quality systems.