Mission:
The mission of the Dairy Processing and Products Research Unit is to solve critical problems in milk utilization, and create and utilize new concepts and advances in dairy science and technology, to expand markets for milk while assuring the consumer of safe high quality products. Towards this mission, basic and applied research is conducted on the processing, preservation, and storage of milk, dairy foods, and milk-based food ingredients. Major research approaches involve: genetic modification of food processing microorganisms to produce dairy foods with improved flavor and texture; casein and whey modification for improved thermoplastic extrusion into high-value products; studies of processing-induced structural changes in milk proteins affecting functional properties of low-fat and ethnic cheeses; prediction of milk protein structure-function relationships by computer-assisted modeling and correlation of results withultrastructural and biochemical modifications involved in milk protein bio-assembly in vivo; and the development of new environmentally - benign processing technologies for production of dairy proteins and their modification. Integral to the research is technology transfer to USDA and other action agencies and to the dairy industry.