Italy is a country rich in food specialties that qualify for the prestigious guarantee "Appellation d'origine" (registered designation of origin). As one of the most valued and common cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano is the essential ingredient of Italian cuisine. Originating in ancient Italy, its quality characteristics and reputation were already being celebrated at that time.

Ricotta is a heat/acid precipitated cheese that can be made from whole or skim milk. A related product called ricotone is made in a similar fashion from a mixture of milk and whey. Raw milk can be used as the starting material for the production of ricotta cheese as the heat treatment during curd formation more than meets the heat requirements for pasteurization. In the first step of the process acid is added to the milk to lower the pH to 5.9-6.0.

Romano is a hard, flavourful grating cheese related to parmesan. Different types of romano cheese are available depending on whether the cheesemilk originated from cows, goats or sheep. The milk used to produce romano cheese is typically defatted to a level just above 2% fat. The milk can be pasteurized (most common approach) or raw since the final product has a long aging time. Once the cheesemilk is prepared, starter culture and rennet paste are added.

Nonfat dry milk is a product that is created when water is removed from pasteurized nonfat milk. By depriving microorganisms of the water which they require in order to develop, drying allows skim milk powder to have a shelf life of up to 3 years if stored properly. It contains lactose, milk proteins and minerals in the same relative proportions as the fresh milk from which it was made. Skim milk powder is by far the most common type of milk powder available.

Sweet and condensed milk (or sweetened condensed milk) is produced when sweetened milk is condensed to half its volume by removing part of the moisture in a vacuum evaporator. In order to ensure its preservation, sugar is added either at the beginning or during the concentration process. The high content of sugar in the resulting product increases the osmotic pressure to such a level that most of the microorganisms are destroyed. Thus, no sterilization takes place after canning or packaging.

Whey is the residual liquid substance that is obtained by separating the coagulum from milk during cheesemaking. There are important components contained in whey, the most valued of which are the proteins which are highly regarded for their nutritional properties. The major whey proteins are Α-lactalbumin and Β-lactoglobulin. These globular proteins offer the most diverse functional benefits and have the greatest potential when used in further processed foods.

Whole milk powder (WMP) is obtained by removing water from pasteurized, homogenized whole milk through evaporation and spray drying processes. It possesses all the appealing qualities of milk and, in its dry form, is an important ingredient in the manufacture of a remarkable range of food products.

Yogurt is milk that has fermented under the action of lactic bacteria. Certain specific bacterial strains convert part of the lactose into lactic acid. The milk coagulates when a sufficient quantity of lactic acid is produced. Today, the curdling is performed by the combined action of two traditional fermenting agents that produce the lactic acid and the components that determine the yogurt's characteristic flavour: Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.