Influence of Processing on Rheological and Textural Characteristics of Goat and Sheep Milk Beverages and Methods of Analysis

Abstract The goat and sheep milk, after cow milk, are the two main milks produced and consumed, which is also used in the dairy and nonfood products. In addition, goat milk and sheep milk represent an excellent source of food to human nutrition, which has a distinct characteristic, such as the composition and size of casein micelles and fat globule structure. These peculiarities are responsible for the easy digestion and absorption of goat and sheep milk when compared to cow milk. However, goat milk products present a lower hardness, adhesiveness, consistency, stability, extrusion force, and have a greater tendency to syneresis than cow and sheep milk products. In this context, the aim of this chapter is to tackle the most relevant aspects and concerns of the rheological and textural characteristic in goat and sheep milk and their beverages, approaching the influence of food process on these characteristics, as well as the methods of analysis.