ABSTRACT
152 153India is the largest milk producer in the world with about 140 million tons/year of milk. About 50–55% of this (i.e., 70–77 million tons) is diverted for preparation of Traditional Indian dairy products (TIDPs) at micro and small-scale level by local sweet makers. The TIDPs include: heat desiccated (khoa based), acid coagulated (chhana based), fermented (curd based), puddings preparation (with cereals), and frozen (with or by ice) products. These products are hereditarily inculcated in Indian life style. At present, the estimated market for these products is about $50 billion/year. In India, about 20–25% of total milk produced is processed by organized dairy industry for manufacturing of mainly fluid milk variants. Still, production of TIDPs is not taken up in big way by the dairy industry due to unavailability of quality milk, inappropriateness of variables and lack of standardization of process and absence of suitable packaging technology. Manufacture of TIDPs comprises of several unit operations and their respective equipments to finish these unit operations. In spite of above shortcomings, research institutions, entrepreneurs, and dairy industry have made significant inroads into mechanization and automation for production of TIDPs. It has been realized that there is a huge untapped potential ahead in future for these products. The organized sector has started production of peda, paneer, mishit doi, gulabjamun, shrikhand, lassi, and so forth, but on limited scale. For manufacturing of TIDPs, adoption of technology for more or less similar western product would be a feasible and economic option. This is the most opportune time to mechanize, so the TIDPs of uniform quality, balanced nutrition with hygienically packaging may be made available for the people of India and migrants of Indian origin throughout the world.
