The food quality assurance before selling is a needed requirement intended for protecting consumer interests. In the same way, it is also indispensable to promote continuous improvement of sensory and nutritional properties. In this regard, food research has recently contributed with studies focused on the use of 'foodomics'. This review focuses on the use of this technology, represented by transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, for the control and quality improvement of dairy products. The complex matrix of these foods requires sophisticated technology able to extract large amounts of information with which to influence their aptitude for consumption. Thus, throughout the article, different applications of the aforementioned technologies are described and discussed in essential matters related to food quality, such as the detection of fraud and/or adulterations, microbiological safety, and the assessment and improvement of transformation industrial processes (e.g., fermentation and ripening). The magnitude of the reported results may open the door to an in-depth transformation of the most conventional analytical processes, with the introduction of new techniques that allow a greater understanding of the biochemical phenomena occurred in this type of food.
Keywords: food fraud; food safety; metabolomics; proteomics; transcriptomics; transformation processes.