Shifting consumer habits bring innovations in dairy analytical equipment
The most important change agent impacting the lab is the decline in milk consumption and the rise of specialty dairy products. One of our colleagues compares milk to crude oil. "When it was discovered in Pennsylvania during the 19th Century, oil was burned in kerosene lamps as a light source. But when electric incandescent bulbs were developed, we learned to use oil in different ways - for gasoline, jet fuel, and petrochemicals." Milk is moving in the same direction. As consumption declines, companies are developing specialty dairy products, such as gourmet ice cream, yogurt, and specialty drinks, which appeal to a more sophisticated consumer palate.