Fat content of milk
Encyclopedia
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
is the proportion of milk, by weight,
made up by butterfat
Butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...
. The fat content, particularly of cow's milk, is modified to make a variety of products. The fat content of milk is usually stated on the container, and the colour of the label or milk bottle top
Milk bottle top
A milk bottle top is a lid to a milk bottle. They are usually colour-coded to show the consumer the different varieties of milk, especially the flavour or fat content...
varied to enable quick recognition.
Health and Nutrition
Research found that low fat milk drinkers fully compensated for the energy deficit between low fat and whole milk. Yet in skimmed milk drinkers, it was found that males compensated while females did not compensate for the energy difference. Although energy compensation does not change the total fat intake of most consumer, lower fat milk drinkers still have the benefit of a decreased consumption of saturated fatSaturated fat
Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. That is, the chain of carbon atoms is fully "saturated" with hydrogen atoms...
.
Nutrition intake between whole-milk drinkers and skimmed or low fat drinkers is different. An analysis of a survey done by the U. S. Department of Agriculture showed that consumers of reduced or low fat milk had greater intake of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber compared to the group of whole milk drinkers, yet zinc, vitamin E, and calcium were all under consumed in each group. The conclusion was made that the whole milk drinkers were more likely to choose food that were less micronutrient-dense, which resulted in their less healthful diets.
Methods for changing fat content
To reduce the fat content of milk, e.g. for skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, all of the fat is removed and then the required quantity returned. The fat content of the milk produced by cows can also be altered, by selective breedingSelective breeding
Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...
and genetic modification. For example, scientists in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
have bred cows that produce skimmed milk (less than 1% fat content).
Methods of detecting fat content
Milk's fat content can be determined by experimental means, such as the Babcock testBabcock test
The Babcock test is the first inexpensive and practical test factories could use to determine the fat content of milk.-Motivation:Until the 1890s, dishonest farmers could water down their milk or remove some cream before selling it to the factories because milk was paid for by volume...
or Gerber Method
Gerber method
The Gerber Method is a primary and historic chemical test to determine the fat content of milk and other substances. The Gerber Method is the primary testing method in Europe and much of the world. The fairly similar Babcock test is used primarily in the United States, although the Gerber Method...
. Before the Babcock test was created, dishonest milk dealers could adulterate milk to falsely indicate a higher fat content. In 1911, the American Dairy Science Association
American Dairy Science Association
The American Dairy Science Association is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of dairy science. ADSA is headquartered in Savoy, Illinois, located near the Urbana-Champaign, Illinois area....
's Committee on Official Methods of Testing Milk and Cream for Butterfat met in Washington DC with the U.S. Bureau of Dairying
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
, the U.S. Bureau of Standards
American National Standards Institute
The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
and manufacturers of glassware. Standard specifications for the Babcock methodology and equipment were published as a result of this meeting. Improvements to the Babcock test have continued.
Terms for fat content by country
The terminology for different types of milk, and the regulations regarding labelling, varies by country and region.Canada
In Canada "whole" milk refers to creamline (unhomogenized) milk. "Homogenized" milk (abbreviated to "homo" on labels and in speech) refers to milk which is 3.25% butterfat (or milk fat). There are also skim, 1% , and 2% milk fat milks. Generally all store-bought milk in Canada has been homogenized. Yet, the term is also used as a name to describe butterfat/milk fat content for a specific variety of milk. Modern commercial dairy processing techniques involve first removing all of the butterfat, and then adding back the appropriate amount depending on which product is being produced on that particular line.In the U.S. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a blended mixture of half cream and half milk is often sold in small quantities and is called half-and-half
Half and half
Half and half refers to various beverages or liquid foods made of an equal-parts mixture of two substances, including dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks...
. Half-and-half is used for creaming coffee and similar uses. In Canada, low-fat cream is available, which has half the fat content of half-and-half.
United States
| Butterfat content | U.S. terminology |
|---|---|
| 80% | Butter Butter Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying... |
| 40% | Manufacturers cream |
| 36% | Heavy whipping cream |
| 30 – 36% | Whipping cream or Light whipping cream |
| 25% | Medium cream |
| 18 – 30% | Light, coffee, or table cream |
| 10.5 – 18% | Half and half Half and half Half and half refers to various beverages or liquid foods made of an equal-parts mixture of two substances, including dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks... |
| 3.25% | Whole milk |
| about 2% | 2% or Reduced fat |
| 1.8% | Semi-skim |
| about 1% | 1% or Low fat |
| 0.0 – 0.5% | Skim milk |
In the USA, skim milk is also known as "nonfat" milk, due to USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
regulations stating that any food with less than ½ gram of fat per serving can be labelled "fat free".
United Kingdom
Three main varieties of milk by fat content are sold in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk. Semi-skimmed is by far the most popular variety, accounting for 63% of all milk sales. Whole milk follows with 27% and then skimmed with 6%. Until 1 January 2008, milk with butterfat content outside the ranges defined by the European Commission could not legally be sold as milk. This included 1% milk, meaning varieties with 1% butterfat content could not be labelled as milk. Lobbying by Britain has allowed these other percentages to be sold as milk. Since the change in regulation, Sainsbury's has launched a 1% variety with an orange milk bottle top
Milk bottle top
A milk bottle top is a lid to a milk bottle. They are usually colour-coded to show the consumer the different varieties of milk, especially the flavour or fat content...
, while Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
own brand, Robert Wiseman Dairies
Robert Wiseman Dairies
Robert Wiseman Dairies plc is a large Scottish milk supplier and distributor. They are now one of the largest dairy businesses in Great Britain with seven major dairies . Robert Wiseman Dairies also distribute cream and orange juice...
'The One' brand and Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
own brand use purple tops.
| Butterfat content | UK Terminology |
|---|---|
| 5.5% | Channel Island milk Channel Island milk Channel Island milk is creamy, light-beige coloured milk originally from the Channel Islands. It comes from the Jersey and Guernsey breeds of cattle which are native to the Islands.... or breakfast milk |
| 3.5% | Whole milk or full fat milk |
| 1.5 – 1.8% | Semi-skimmed |
| 1% | The One or 1% |
| Less than 0.3% | Skimmed |