Milk Composition, Production and Biotechnology

Book excerpt: Major changes have recently taken place in the value attached to components of milk. Although approximately half the energy in milk is contained in fat, fat is rapidly decreasing in value relative to protein. This has come about because of the increased availability of competitively-priced, plant-derived edible oils and because of the perceived health problems associated with animal fat in the human diet. Such changes have major implications for the dairy sector, particularly in developed countries. Against this background, this book presents a timely review of developments in milk production and consumption, of changes in milk component values, and of the opportunities that biotechnology provides to alter the composition of and add value to milk on the farm. The subject coverage is very broad, ranging from nutritional aspects of pastures and forages, to rumen microbiology, genetics and reproductive technologies, milk biochemistry and environmental implications. It is based on a conference held in Wellington, New Zealand, in February 1996, and sponsored by the OECD and AgResearch. Contributors include leading research workers from North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. It provides an invaluable overview of the subject, suitable as a reference book for advanced students, researchers and advisers in dairy science as well as related disciplines such as grassland, nutritional and food sciences.