Milk processing system in the hilly terrain，south-central France : From case studies of the dairy farmers in Auvergne Region

The milk processing systems of 4 dairy farmers in the hilly terrain of south-central France were surveyed to clarify those characteristics and discuss the transition process of milk processing system in the cold and humid climate condition， of which the origin came from the dry areas of Asian Continent. The characteristics of milk processing system in the south-central France was the specialization for mature cheese making conducted by the technique of solidifying-additives using series. Although the technique of cream separating series had also been used in the region，all 4 dairy farmers don\u27t currently adopt it because of its lower benefit than cheese making. Hence，butter was currently made not from cream， but from whey that was produced in cheese making. The technique of fermented milk processing series such as yogurt making wasn\u27t also found in the surveyed 4 dairy farmers. It was considered that the main factors which specialize to the mature cheese making in the south-central France are 1) cool and humid climate conditions and resource uses for setting cool and wet conditions which make the cheese maturing possible，2) the improvement of cheese conservation and cheese taste by maturing，3) the higher benefit of mature cheese making，4) tbe lower labor force by tbe centralization of mature cheese making