Denmark, better known for the low-fat cheese produced there, plans to join hands with India to give export potential to buffalo milk and a wide array of sweetmeat produced in India.
Prof Richard Ipsen, a dairy scientist and head, department of food science, University of Copenhagen (Denmark), dropped enough hints on Wednesday, about a possible collaboration with BHU.
In a detailed presentation at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS-BHU), Ipsen said, up-scaling and improving shelf-life of Indian dairy products and exploring potential of Indian buffalo milk, were the key areas in which tie-up with the BHU was possible.
“Let me return to my university and I’ll try and prepare a groundwork for the possible tie-up with BHU in these key areas, to render enormous export potential to buffalo milk from India and the wide array of sweetmeat produced in India,” Ipsen maintained.
He added, “We’ll first speak to the government funding agencies in both the nations and if needed, the dairy industry, particularly in Denmark, where it is more robust.”
“India holds a unique advantage from making dairy products from buffalo milk, which is not present in Europe. Both Denmark and India need to jointly explore buffalo milk scientifically to render export potential to it, particularly via manufacturing buffalo milk based cheese and milk powder. Also a comprehensive research on the health profile of buffalo milk needs to be done to give it a sustained export value in the Western
markets,” said Ipsen.
“India holds a unique advantage from making dairy products from buffalo milk, which is not present in Europe. Both Denmark and India need to jointly explore buffalo milk scientifically to render export potential to it, particularly via manufacturing buffalo milk based cheese and milk powder. Also a comprehensive research on the health profile of buffalo milk needs to be done to give it a sustained export value in the Western
markets,” said Ipsen.
A possible collaborative research to ensure proper shelf life and quality to the milk-based Indian sweetmeat items will not only include dairy scientists from the Danish varsity and the Centre for Food Science and Technology, BHU, but also sweetmeat makers, to ensure that their problems and knowledge are given due care.
“At our university, we’ve been working on newer processing technologies like high heat processing, which could even give proper shelf life to Indian dairy products,” the Danish scientists said.
“We’ve a growing Non Resident Indian population in Europe and has a craving for quality desi dairy products from India, provided they have a proper shelf life, for which Indo-Danish collaboration is needed,” he added.
India is the largest milk producer globally, but ranks below 20 when it comes to exporting dairy products, in which Denmark stands seventh, as 60 pc of it’s milk is exported.
While annual milk yield per cow in Denmark is reported to be 9,000 plus litre, it’s Indian variant is way behind at 1400 litre. “A potential area of Indo-Danish collaboration could be how to reap benefits of breeding revolution in Denmark to render enhancement of milk yield among Indian cows,” he said.