Milk, as the highest quality food resource, plays an important role in improving human nutrition and health. With the improvement of residents’ living standards, consumers have put forward higher requirements for the quality of dairy products. Fermented dairy products have become an important part of the daily diet for all age groups around the world, as they are rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, sugar, and minerals, and have health benefits such as regulating intestinal balance, improving lactose intolerance, reducing inflammation in the body, protecting heart health, and unique flavors that are loved by consumers. Flavor not only affects the quality of fermented milk, but is also a key indicator for consumers in product selection. This article reviews the composition and formation pathways of flavor compounds in fermented milks and the effects of exogenous fermentation conditions on the production of aromatic compounds. In addition, it describes the research progress and future development directions on flavor improvement of fermented milk, aiming to provide theoretical basis and new ideas for the flavor, quality, and nutritional functions of fermented milk.

The fat in breast milk exists in the form of fat globules, which are enveloped by a unique biophysical membrane called the milk fat globule membrane. The absence of fat globules will affect the structure and stability of fat droplets, which will in turn affect lipid digestion and absorption. In an effort to make the nutritional composition of milk powder approximate as closely as possible to that of breast milk, an extensive literature has developed concerning the fat globule membrane of cow’s milk, goat’s milk and other milks both domestically and internationally. With the aim of providing a reference for the resource development and application of milk fat globule membrane resources, this article reviews recent progress in understanding the composition of the milk fat globule membrane as well as the factors affecting the structure and functional characteristics of the milk fat globule membrane such as lactation stages, feeding regimes and milk sources as well as separation, thermal processing, homogenization and non-thermal processing, and it summarizes recent advances in breast milk fat globule membrane simulation and its application in infant formula and milk products for middle-aged and elderly people.