ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATION OF MILK PROCESSING PRODUCTS BY THE VALUE-ADDED MULTIPLIER CRITERION

Issue № 7, 2026, article № 12, pages 134-140

Section:

Language: Russian

Original language title: ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ КЛАССИФИКАЦИЯ ПРОДУКТОВ ПЕРЕРАБОТКИ МОЛОКА ПО КРИТЕРИЮ МУЛЬТИПЛИКАТОРА ДОБАВЛЕННОЙ СТОИМОСТИ

Keywords: ADDED VALUE, COMPONENT PROCESSING MODEL, DAIRY SUBCOMPLEX OF THE AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, DEEP, MILK PROCESSING, ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATION, FRACTIONATION OF MILK, IMPORT SUBSTITUTION, LACTOFERRIN, PROCESSING PROFITABILITY, VALUE-ADDED MULTIPLIER, VALUE-ADDED PYRAMID

Abstract: The dairy subcomplex of the agro-industrial complex in Russian economic science is traditionally analyzed through the prism of product assortment: drinking milk, fermented dairy products, butter, cheese. While products of deep processing (protein concentrates and isolates, lactoferrin, bioactive peptides), which generate the highest added value, remain outside the established categorical framework. The absence of a formalized economic classification based on quantitative criteria hinders the formation of an adequate industrial policy in this sphere. The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical justification for an economic classification of dairy processing products by depth, based on the criterion of the value-added multiplier – the ratio of the market price of the final product to the cost of the raw milk used. As a result of the study, a five-tier pyramid of added value has been developed, covering the entire range of dairy products from a minimal level with a negligible price premium over raw milk to high-tech products demonstrating a many-thousand-fold increase in the value of the original raw material. In addition, the author proposes a three-level classification of deep-processing products, including basic ingredients with a moderate multiplier, high-value protein fractions with a significant price premium, and minor bioactive components characterized by the maximum increase in added value. A comparative analysis of profitability confirms the fundamental economic superiority of the component model over the traditional product model: the value-added multiplier increases by orders of magnitude when moving from standard dairy products to highly purified ingredients. It has been established that the relationship between processing depth and added value is exponential rather than linear. For Russia, where a significant portion of whey is still not involved in industrial processing, substantiating the transition to a component model is a task directly linked to food security and import substitution.

Authors: Ilina Elena Andreevna