Milk processing system and uses of milk products in the middle highland of Ethiopia

Abstract

 For the purpose to analyze characteristics of milk processing system in Ethiopian middle highlands, field surveys were conducted on Afar pastoralists and Oromia Pastoralists in middle highlands and also farmers and city-side dwellers who speak Tigrinya and Amharic in highlands. The characteristics of milk processing system in the middle highland were that the technique of fermented milk processing series was adopted, fat was extracted and preserved as butteroil from fresh milk, but protein wasn't extracted and preserved from fresh milk. Butter was used for cosmetic purpose, but wasn't used for a food material. Butteroil was consumed as the food. Buttermilk was only used for drinking directly. In the highland side, the characteristics of milk processing system were that the technique of fermented milk processing series was adopted, fat was extracted and preserved as butteroil from fresh milk, and protein was also extracted as fresh cheese from fresh milk, but wasn't preserved for long periods. It was considered that the reason why the extraction and preservation of protein as cheese are lacked and fat as butteroil are developed in the Ethiopian middle highlands is 1) since the fresh milk is produced from sheep, goat, cow and camel through a year, protein is always supplied from fresh milk without extracting and preserving protein from milk, and 2) the necessity of betteroil for their food material made the butteroil processing developed from milk.