Maharashtra SSC Milk & Milk Products (MSBSHSE) key terms

The combined mass of fat and solids-not-fat in milk, found by drying a sample to constant weight. It is used to calculate yield, detect added water and price milk.

Everything dissolved or suspended in milk apart from fat, chiefly lactose, casein and other proteins, and minerals. SNF is a major basis for milk pricing and for judging adulteration with water.

The disaccharide sugar naturally present only in milk, made of glucose and galactose. It supplies about a third of milk energy, gives milk its mild sweetness and is the sugar fermented in curd and cheese making.

The main group of milk proteins, present as calcium phosphate-casein micelles that give milk its white colour. Casein coagulates on acidification or with rennet, forming the curd of paneer and cheese.

The greenish liquid left after casein and fat have been removed from milk by acid or rennet. It still contains soluble proteins, lactose and minerals and is dried or used in beverages and animal feed.

The percentage of lactic acid in a milk sample, measured by titrating against standard alkali with phenolphthalein indicator. Fresh milk is usually 0.12 to 0.16 percent; higher values suggest bacterial souring.

The organic acid produced when lactic acid bacteria ferment lactose. It lowers milk pH, curdles casein and gives curd and paneer their tangy taste; excess lactic acid makes milk unsuitable for heat processing.

A hydrometer weighted to read the specific gravity of milk directly on its stem. Readings between about 1.026 and 1.032 indicate normal milk; very low readings suggest added water.

Milk freezes near minus 0.54 degrees Celsius, lower than pure water because of dissolved lactose and salts. Adding water raises the freezing point toward zero, making this a reliable test for watering.

Deliberate addition of cheaper substances such as water, starch, skim milk powder or urea, or removal of fat, to increase profit. Detection relies on chemical and physical tests prescribed in food law.

A quick platform test of raw milk quality in which methylene blue is decolourised by bacterial growth. Faster decolourisation means a higher bacterial load and poorer keeping quality.

The number of colony-forming units of bacteria per millilitre of milk grown on a nutrient agar plate under set time and temperature. It is the reference measure of raw milk hygiene.

A centrifugal process that removes fine sediment, somatic cells and some bacteria from milk without splitting the cream from the skim. It is done in a bowl-type clarifier at flow rates chosen to avoid separation.

A high-speed centrifuge that splits whole milk into cream and skim milk by density difference. Bowl speed, milk temperature and flow rate control the fat content of the cream produced.

Forcing milk at high pressure through a narrow valve so fat globules break into tiny ones and stay dispersed. It prevents cream rising, gives a whiter colour and a smoother, lighter body.

A heat treatment that kills disease-causing organisms and most spoilage bacteria while changing the milk only slightly. Common conditions are 63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or 72 degrees for 15 seconds.

Heating milk so intensely that it becomes commercially sterile and keeps for months without refrigeration when sealed. Typical treatments exceed 100 degrees Celsius, as in in-bottle sterilisation or ultra-high-temperature processing.

Ultra-high-temperature treatment, usually 135 to 150 degrees Celsius for a few seconds, followed by aseptic filling. The milk is sterile and shelf-stable but takes on a slight cooked flavour.

A test for the enzyme alkaline phosphatase, which is destroyed at pasteurisation temperatures. A negative result confirms proper pasteurisation; a positive result means underpasteurisation or raw milk contamination.

The fat-rich fraction of milk obtained by separation, graded by fat content such as 25, 40 or 60 percent. It is used as table cream, whipping cream and as the raw material for butter.

A water-in-oil emulsion made by churning ripened or unripened cream, containing at least 80 percent milk fat. Churning breaks the fat globule membranes so fat grains cluster and buttermilk is released.

Clarified butter fat prepared by melting butter and boiling off moisture, then removing the curd sediment. It is almost pure fat, keeps well without refrigeration and has a characteristic nutty aroma.

Off-flavour and odour caused by fat breakdown, either by lipase enzymes releasing free fatty acids or by oxidation of unsaturated fat. It spoils butter, ghee and milk powder during poor storage.

A fermented milk product made by inoculating boiled or pasteurised milk with lactic cultures, which thicken it into a soft gel. It is a staple food and the base for lassi, shrikhand and buttermilk.

A soft, unripened cheese made by curdling hot milk with citric acid or lemon juice and pressing the drained curd. It is used fresh in many Indian dishes and does not melt on cooking.

A concentrated dairy food made by continuously boiling and stirring milk until most water evaporates, leaving a semi-solid mass. Khoa is the base for sweets such as peda and burfi.

A dried dairy product made by evaporating milk and spray- or roller-drying the concentrate to about 3 percent moisture. It reconstitutes easily and is stored cool and dry to avoid caking and rancidity.

A frozen dessert made from a mix of milk, cream, sugar and stabilisers, pasteurised, homogenised, aged and frozen with air whipped in. Overrun, the air volume, and freezing speed govern its texture.

A system that circulates cleaning and sanitising solutions through tanks, pipes and equipment without dismantling them. Correct concentration, temperature, contact time and flow velocity are essential for hygiene.

The set of cleaning and disinfection practices that keep equipment, surfaces and personnel free of harmful microorganisms and residues. It includes manual cleaning, CIP, hand washing and routine swab testing.

Filling commercially sterile milk into pre-sterilised packages under sterile conditions, as in tetrapaks. Combined with UHT treatment it gives long shelf life without refrigeration until opening.

The unbroken series of refrigerated storage, transport and handling steps from processing to the consumer. Milk and dairy products must stay at about 4 degrees Celsius to keep their quality and safety.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which sets mandatory standards and licensing for food businesses. Its regulations cover milk composition, additives, labelling and hygiene requirements.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a preventive food safety system. It identifies biological, chemical and physical hazards, sets critical limits at control points and requires monitoring and corrective action records.

Specifications published by the Bureau of Indian Standards for products and methods, such as IS codes for milk powder or ghee. They define quality parameters and standard test procedures used in dairy laboratories.

A farmer-owned milk collection and processing organisation in which members share profits by patronage. Village societies collect and test milk, and the union processes and markets it, as in Maharashtra's district pattern.

A village-level point where farmers deliver milk that is weighed, tested for fat and SNF, and chilled before transport. Prompt chilling and honest testing protect quality and fair payment.

The process of treating dairy wastewater, rich in milk solids and cleaning chemicals, before discharge. Screening, equalisation, biological treatment and sludge handling reduce pollution and meet consent limits.