Odesa National Academy of Food Technologies is one of the leading universities in the training of bachelors, specialists and masters in the specialty "Storage technology, canning and processing of milk". It has highly qualified personnel, appropriate material and technical base, scientific and methodological support, maintains links with industry, which determines the absence of problems in the training of specialists in this specialty and in their subsequent employment.

Department of milk technology and drying of food products (with 1.09.2013 p. - department of milk technology, fats and perfumery and cosmetic products) - specialized department, which was the first in Ukraine to start training specialists in the specialty "Technology of milk and dairy products" from 1953 year. Today, the department prepares highly qualified specialists - bachelors, specialists and masters for the dairy industry.

The teaching staff of the department is represented by doctors and candidates of technical sciences. Two doctors of technical sciences work at the department, six candidates of technical sciences, associate professors and two candidates of technical sciences, assistants. The teachers of the department have a high professional level of knowledge, extensive teaching experience and close ties with leading enterprises in the milk processing industry. The department is a member of the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine, which unites over 80 milk processing enterprises, and a member of the Association of Ukrainian Manufacturers "Ice Cream and Frozen Products", which unites most of the enterprises of Ukraine, specializing in the production of ice cream, frozen products and semi-finished products.

Dr. Tech. of science, professor, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences Chagarovsky Oleksandr Petrovych and Dr. Tech. of science, prof. Tkachenko Nataliya Andriivna made a significant contribution to the development of the dairy products market, including. in the development and implementation of technologies for the production of functional and special purpose dairy products. Thanks to their scientific and practical work, the production of dairy products in Ukraine meets the world level. Under their leadership and with their direct participation, it was obtained 30 patents of Ukraine for probiotic dairy products, herodietic, diabetic and immunomodulatory purpose, developed 27 packages of regulatory documents for the production of these products. Over 60 % dairy products, which is produced by domestic dairy enterprises, produced according to this regulatory documentation.

The department is equipped with a mini-line for the production of drinking milk, fermented milk drinks, sour cream and sour milk cheese, pilot plants for the production of fermented milk drinks, solid, soft, fused, sour milk cheeses, condensed and dry canned milk, butter, products of the oil and fat industry.

Associate professors and assistants of the department take an active part in scientific research, aimed at the development of new and improvement of existing technologies of dairy products, namely:

– technologies of functional dairy products with increased probiotic and immunomodulating properties;

– technologies of fermented dairy products for special purpose - children's, herodietic and diabetic nutrition - with an extended shelf life;

– technologies of traditional dairy products with an extended shelf life;

– technologies of processed cheeses with the addition of proteins of plant origin;

– technologies of new types of ice cream for different age groups;

– technologies of special purpose oil pastes and spreads;

– technologies of mayonnaise, sauces, dressings with reduced fat content and given special properties;

– technologies of milk protein concentrates;

– methods of intensifying the drying of dairy products.

During the last 20 years at the department, they have been performed and protected 4 doctor's (Chaharovsky O.P., Pogozhih M.I., Tkachenko N.A.) and 10 candidate's (Chaharovsky V.P., Sharahmatova T.E., Velichko L.O., Chabanova O.B., Kruček O.A., Chagarovska A.S., Bakhmutyan N.V., Tkachenko G.V., Mohylyanska N.O., Kovalenko N.O.) dissertations.

For the last 10 years, the department has expanded scientific and technical cooperation with a number of leading companies and higher educational institutions of the food profile of Eastern and Western Europe. The partners of such cooperation are: Warmino-Masurian University of Food Technologies (Poland), Opole University (Poland), Plovdiv University of Food Technologies (Bulgaria), Parmalat (Italy), "Christian Hansen" (Denmark), Alche Mofin Group (Italy), "Tetra Pak" (Sweden), "Superior" (Poland), "Agro-Hansa" (Poland), "Abram Deiry" (Poland), "Air engineering" (Slovakia), "Nutritech" (Russia), "Milfor" (Poland), OJSC "Wilmark Ukraine CIS" (Singapore).

WITH 1998 of the Department of Milk Technology, of fats and perfumery and cosmetic products takes part in the ongoing international scientific and practical seminar "News in the dairy industry", which provides advisory assistance to enterprises of the dairy industry. WITH 2004 year associate professor of the department Sharahmatova T.E. is a permanent member of the expert commission for evaluation of containers and packaging for ice cream; with 2007 year associate professor of the department Izbash E.O. - a permanent member of the expert commission for evaluating the quality of ice cream glaze; with 2008 year in charge. Department of Tkachenko (grandfather) ON. is a member of the State Tasting Commission for evaluating the quality of meat and dairy products, associate professor of the department Sharakhamtova T.E. - a member of the commission for evaluating the quality of fillers for ice cream.

Practical training of students and internship of teachers of the department of milk technology and drying of food products is carried out at basic milk processing enterprises, which are industry leaders, incl., "Danon Dnipro" LLC, "Bilotserkivskiy Dairy Plant" LLC, Elite LLC, OJSC "Kombinat Prydniprovskyi", CJSC "Tulchyn Maslozavod", OJSC "Kryzhopolsky cheese plant", OJSC "Veselinivsky Plant SZM", CJSC "Zvenygorod Cheese Factory" etc. Based on the results of practical training, most students receive job offers. Milk processing enterprises provide the need for highly qualified personnel at the expense of bachelors, specialists and masters, graduates of the department of milk technology, of fats and perfumery and cosmetic products of the Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies.

The department has all the conditions for carrying out the educational process and research work of masters. The department has the necessary equipment and ingredients (leavening compositions of direct application of advanced European and Ukrainian manufacturers, lactating enzyme preparations, whey protein concentrates, grain additives - flour for children's and dietary purposes, vegetable oils, carbohydrate additives - lactulose concentrates, Jerusalem artichoke, etc) for the organization of production of dairy products, including. functional, health and special purposes. To control the quality of raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products, the course of technological processes at the department has the necessary devices.

For the training of specialists in the specialty "Storage technology, preservation and processing of milk" ONAKHT library has the necessary textbooks, educational and methodical manuals, periodical literature.