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Milk is the fluid secreted by the lactating cells of the mammary gland of all female mammals. The principal function of milk is to deliver the nutrients required to fulfill the neonate’s development needs and to provide immunological protection. Various animal species, such as cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats and camels, have been domesticated in order to secure milk for human consumption. However, cow milk is the most prevalent milk used for human consumption, accounting for about 85% of the milk available for sale today (Fox, 2011).

Milk is a very perishable material, particularly vulnerable to microbial spoilage. Before the development of heat treatments aimed at improving milk preservation and safety at the end of the 19th century, traditional processes, such as milk fermentation, were used for this purpose. Nowadays, milk is converted into a vast array of milk products using a wide range of modern processing …