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About the DPTC

About

The DPTC was established in 1986 to address the growing scientific and technological needs of the U.S. dairy industry. The DPTC is a program housed within the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences, which has as its current mission to “deliver academic programs and industry service to provide solutions, facilitate industry activation, and develop the leaders of tomorrow’s workforce.” The program is housed in a 22,000 ft2 facility equipped with teaching, research, and development laboratories, and a pilot plant of 8,300 ft2. The DPTC also serves as a focal point to attract expertise from Cal Poly and other universities to allow multi-disciplinary approaches to address applied dairy foods questions.

Vision

As the leading dairy state, California produces more than 40 billion pounds of milk each year, which represents 18.5% of the total national milk production. This volume also places dairy products as the top agricultural product within California and a key contributor to the California economy. In line with this, the milk processing industry is also crucial for California’s economy as the state ranks first in the U.S. in the production of butter, ice cream, yogurt, nonfat dry milk, and whey protein concentrate and second in cheese production. This last commodity makes up the largest proportion of milk allocated for manufacturing dairy products (approximately 40%).
Due to the importance of the dairy industry in California, the Dairy Products Technology Center has as a mission to be “A Center of Excellence recognized globally that supports the California and U.S dairy industry:”
  • The place to go for global dairy solutions that raise the nutritional well-being of the world, that are environmentally sound and sustainable
  • Address challenges and opportunities of the California dairy industry
  • The premier source of tomorrow’s workforce
  • Consistently delivering information leads to winning technologies
  • Outstanding partnerships for the California dairy industry
Goals
  • Train the next generation of dairy professionals
  • Drive dairy innovation through strategic and applied research outcomes
  • Facilitate industry activation of science and technology through an industry outreach program
  • Continue to be the University’s gateway for dairy foods

Mission

The DPTC mission is to deliver educational programs, industry outreach, and technology transfer, adding value to the dairy processing industry and developing leaders for tomorrow.

To achieve this mission, it serves industry, students, the university, and the public by meeting immediate, short-term, and long-term needs in education, training, research, outreach, and extension activities in the field of dairy science and technology, with an emphasis on dairy foods. The DPTC staff, faculty, and students carry out work applicable to cheese, frozen desserts, cultured milk products, dairy beverages, and dairy ingredients. The DPTC encourages and draws upon expertise in other fields (engineering, chemistry, microbiology, food science and nutrition, biological sciences, statistics, etc.) to form multidisciplinary teams that carry out research. These activities support the nation’s domestic and international dairy marketing efforts.

Activities

The DPTC has established active programs of applied research, outreach, and student training. Faculty and students publish research papers, reports, and make presentations at conferences. Our graduates are known for their strong, focused training in dairy science and technology. The applied research program currently emphasizes cheese science and technology, dairy foods quality, and novel dairy products. The Center routinely addresses phone calls, emails, and other requests from trade groups, consumers, media, and individual companies. The Director has established research and outreach links with the U.S. dairy industry, and funding agencies such as the California Dairy Innovation Center, USDA, and Dairy Management Inc., and promoted the Center at regional, national, and international conferences and events.

Activities

Education: Bachelor of Science (Dairy Science), Master of Science in Agriculture (Dairy Products Technology); learning about fundamental principles and practices used in dairy products technology, with an emphasis on practical Learn by Doing experiences. This program is supported by a Dairy Science Program Advisory Council.

Research and Development: Dairy foods product/process research and development projects (inter-institutional collaboration, senior thesis projects, graduate student thesis projects, industry-sponsored projects, collaborative projects with industry, proprietary research and development projects).

Technology Transfer: Dairy short courses and symposia for industry personnel; demonstration and testing of new technological advances.

Commercial Production: Manufacture of dairy products for retail sale with Cal Poly Creamery

Visiting Scientists and Research Students Program: Research collaboration with the Center's faculty.

Research

Areas of research in 2024-2025 included:
  • Frozen Desserts innovation
  • Production of lactose-free fresh cheese
  • Production of added-value dairy beverages
  • Rheological properties of acid-set cheeses

The Future

The DPTC remains committed to actively seeking and securing the necessary funding to support ongoing innovation and growth within the California dairy sector. By tapping into a variety of funding sources, including both public and private organizations, the DPTC will continue to invest in initiatives that drive progress and innovation. This includes cultivating strong relationships with industry partners through collaborative projects, fee-for-service work, and regular outreach visits to dairy manufacturing facilities. The DPTC is actively pursuing funding opportunities from organizations like the California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC), Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the National Dairy Council, the USDA, and private stakeholders.

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