Milk Secretion and Quality

The dairy industry is a large and dynamic segment of the agricultural economy of many nations. In 1999, cash receipts from marketing’s of milk exceeded $23 billion dollars in the United States. Consumption of dairy products continues to increase throughout the world. The widespread consumption of dairy products and well-publicized recent epidemics of animal disease (such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy “BSE”, and foot and mouth disease “FMD”) has increased consumer concern about the quality of foods of animal origin. Coincident to these trends, globalization has influenced the definition of “high-quality” milk and consumer expectations are increasingly affecting animal management practices. An understanding of concepts regarding milk secretion and milk quality is necessary to meet evolving consumer expectations.