The dairy industry is confronting a major challenge that could profoundly affect its future and its long-standing role as a cornerstone of human nutrition [1,2]. FAO, in its last report on the global trends, estimated an increase in the world’s pop- ulation to almost 10 billion people by 2050 and thus, by 2050, agriculture must produce about 50% more food and feed than it did in 2013 [3]. Meeting the increased demand for food will not be the only challenge; indeed, beyond producing food and feed, the agricul- ture and food industries will have to produce it in a sustainable way [4]. Therefore, the primary mission will lie in providing adequate solutions to meet the demand for nutritionally balanced and environmentally, economically and socially sus- tainable products [5]. To this aim, generally, ensuring the safety of dairy products is the most important requirement. However, the quality of milk and its derived products is crucial. For instance, the capacity of milk to coagulate with rennet is essential for cheese production, as it impacts both the yield and the quality of the cheese [6]. In addition to this, rheological and microbiological properties are significant for obtaining dairy prod- ucts that serve various purposes [6]. Therefore, gaining new insights into how genetic, physiological, pathological, environmental, and technological factors influence the quality of milk and dairy products will contribute to the progress of the sector. Furthermore, milk and dairy products are vital sources of nutrients for humans, providing proteins, fats, calcium, and vitamins. The dairy industry also produces several by-products, such as whey and buttermilk, which are valuable, due to their high nutri- tional content and can be repurposed for other uses [7]. This repurposing also helps in reducing the environmental pollution caused by the industry [7]. In addition, milk from certain species has not been extensively studied or character- ised; this untapped potential could be used to create new dairy products.