Agribusiness Handbook: Milk / Dairy Products - FAO

1. MILK PRODUCTION
1.1 Type and composition
The composition of milk varies according to a range of factors, including
species, stage of lactation and diet. Essentially, the product is an emulsion of
fats (both saturated and unsaturated), proteins (casein and whey proteins),
lactose, minerals (including calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc),
vitamins (including A, B, D and E) and other solids in water. The total solids
content of cow's milk is some 13%, with fat representing about 4%, protein
about 3.5% and lactose about 5%. Goats’ milk has a similar composition.
Sheep milk has a typically higher fat content of 5%, a higher protein content
and a total solids content of about 16%. Buffalo milk is typically 10% fat and
has a total solids content of about 20%. Other mammals (e.g. seals and
whales) lactate milk with significantly higher fat contents to feed their young.
Milk is produced commercially across the globe from only a limited number of
animal species. Of these, cow's milk production is by far the most significant,
but sheep, goats, buffaloes and camels are also used to produce milk for
human consumption on a lesser scale.
Table 1: World production of milk by type, 2007
Species M tons %
Cow 560.49 83.49
Buffalo 85.40 12.72
Goat 14.80 2.20
Sheep 9.15 1.36
Camel 1.48 0.22
Total 671.31 100.00
Source: FAOSTAT
1.2 Animal numbers and yields
In 2007, there were some 670 million head of milking animals in the world. About
one-third of these are cows, producing more than 80% of the world’s milk output.
Buffaloes account for about 8% of the world’s milking animals, and produce almost
13% of the world’s milk output. There are also large numbers of milking sheep and
goats, but each animal produces only a small volume of milk, and overall these
animals (along with camels) account for less than 5% of world milk production.
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