**3.3 Storage**

Milk products are generally more stable than fresh milk because they are more acidic and/or contain less moisture. Salt may also be added to milk products to prolong their shelf life. Applying principles of acidification, moisture reduction and salting (O'Mahony and Peters, 1987) can thus make milk products of good storage stability. All of the smallholder producers interviewed and about 82% of cooperatives stored their products at ambient temperatures. However, about 9% of the cooperatives have a refrigerator and the rest used cold water to store their products in cool conditions. Type of equipment used for different milk operations in the cooperative settings is presented in Table 1.


Table 1. Equipment used for different milk operations in cooperative settings
