Thinking of Starting a Value-Added Dairy Foods Business?

Jan 06, 2021

By Kerry E. Kaylegian

“Value-added” is an extra characteristic that oﬀers greater value to the consumer and generates a higher dollar return for the dairy foods processor. Reasons for starting a value-added business: to maintain a small family farm; for ﬁnancial sustainability of your dairy; if you have a passion for dairy products; or to provide a business opportunity for future.

There is a wide range of value-added dairy products such as ﬂuid products, frozen desserts, cultured products, a variety of cheeses, and butter. Dairy consumption is increasing but product trends are moving away from ﬂuid milk to value-added dairy products.

Consumers are interested in local products as well as niche or specialty products, so you may be able to capitalize on an opportunity to market your milk such as grass-fed cattle, organic, goat or sheep products, A2 milk, breed-speciﬁc such as Guernsey or Jersey.

Before you start, knowing the characteristics, science, and manufacturing technology of your product is critical to making a consistent, high-quality product. This will help you determine your equipment and facility needs, manufacturing processes, and regulatory requirements.

The dairy industry is highly regulated. You need to know the federal and state regulations that apply to your enterprise. It is also important to identify potential barriers to the success of your enterprise.

A Successful and Sustainable business is the result of a solid understanding of your markets and the technology needed to make your products, and a commitment to the highest quality farming, manufacturing, and business practices.

This program was developed by Food Safety CTS, LLC, for Penn State University.

Source : psu.edu

Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.