Criteria for production and quality analyses in milk produced in Brazil

Milk and its derivatives are among the foods most consumed by the population, capable of meeting important nutritional needs of humans. As the consumer market is increasingly demanding in terms of quality of the milk produced, the difficulty in maintaining and controlling these points is an issue present in several studies. Quality can be influenced from the type of production system in which the milk is produced, passing through nutritional and sanitary management, to the environment in which the animals remain during their productive life. This chapter presents a brief characterization of the dairy production chain in Brazil and the federal legislation that governs the production and quality of the milk produced. Some results of research on milk quality in shared tanks carried out by the Kamby Research Group with small rural producers in the Tupã/SP region are also presented. Finally, factors that affect the quality of milk and future actions to improve the dairy production chain are pointed out.