Dairy produce; buttermilk, curdled milk or cream, kephir, fermented or acidified milk or cream, whether or not concentrated or containing added sweetening, flavouring, fruit or cocoa (excluding yoghurt)

HS code 040390 covers a diverse range of dairy products, including buttermilk, curdled milk or cream, kephir, and fermented or acidified milk or cream. These products play a crucial role in the global dairy industry, providing nutritious and versatile ingredients for a wide array of food and beverage applications. As consumer demand for dairy-based products continues to grow, the 040390 industry remains an integral part of the broader agricultural and food processing sectors.

The production of goods under HS code 040390 typically involves a combination of fermentation, acidification, and processing techniques. Buttermilk, for example, is produced by the fermentation of milk or cream, often using lactic acid bacteria. Curdled milk or cream, on the other hand, is created through the coagulation of milk proteins, either naturally or through the addition of acidic substances. Kephir, a fermented milk drink, is made by inoculating milk with kephir grains, which contain a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

The main inputs required for the production of 040390 goods include raw milk, cream, and various cultures or starters used for fermentation and acidification. Depending on the specific product, additional ingredients such as sweeteners, flavorings, or fruit may also be added. Specialized equipment, such as fermentation tanks, separators, and homogenizers, are essential for the processing and packaging of these dairy products.

The outputs of the 040390 industry include a wide range of dairy products, such as buttermilk, curdled milk or cream, kephir, and fermented or acidified milk or cream. These products can be consumed directly or used as ingredients in other food and beverage applications, such as 040700 Eggs, birds', and egg yolks, fresh, dried, cooked by steaming or boiling in water, moulded, frozen or otherwise preserved, whether or not containing added sweetening or other flavouring, 210500 Ice cream and other edible ice, whether or not containing cocoa, and 190190 Malt extract; food preparations of flour, groats, meal, starch or malt extract, not containing cocoa or containing less than 40% by weight of cocoa calculated on a totally defatted basis, not elsewhere specified or included; food preparations of goods of headings 0401 to 0404, not containing cocoa or containing less than 5% by weight of cocoa calculated on a totally defatted basis, not elsewhere specified or included.