Tribological properties of liquid milks and dairy fat structured products

Milk lipids exist naturally in bovine and other animal milk, and they play an important role in the chemical & physical properties, sensory characteristics, including nutritional profile of dairy products. In order to understand food texture and sensory behaviour of dairy products especially those in liquid and semi-solid form, the tribometer has attracted a lot of interest since it provides better discrimination for sensory attribute related to fat globule and fat content. The aim of this chapter is to introduce the basic thribology methods for dairy products, summarize the tribological properties of dairy products (milk, yoghurt and cream cheese) and the studies related to the effect of milk fat globule (its size, distribution and population) on the lubrication properties and sensory of the final product