Milk is a highly nutritious medium permissive for the growth of many diverse bacterial species. It is a composite form of different dietary essentials like triglycerides, caseins, soluble milk proteins, milk peptides, sugars, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. On the one hand, there is increasing interest in the applications of compounds produced by dairy starter cultures due to strong consumer demand for healthy fermented milk products. On the other hand, it is a highly perishable commodity and poor handling can exert a public health and economic toll, thus requiring hygienic vigilance throughout the production-to-consumer chain. This comprehensive book will mainly focus on factors affecting the composition and nutraceutical properties of milk and their functional value from different dairy animals. The book presents factors affecting the composition and nutraceutical properties of milk in different dairy animals, provides information on the microbiota of raw milk, and provides information on the nutritional manipulation of milk nutrients to increase functional value.