Got Milk? Maybe, But Do You Know What Kind?
Kitsap Sun
May 30, 2007
This article gives several terms and definitions associated with milk. Health aspects of milk are discussed.
Excerpt…
For most Kitsap County residents born before the Reagan era, milk was a fairly easy term to define. It’s whatone poured over cereal in the morning, added to oatmeal to make it creamy or was used to dunk cookies before eating.
But today’s choices can often lead the consumer perplexed and confused, with labels reading “pasteurized,” “homogenized,” “raw milk,” “organic milk” and “soy milk” and with just as wide a variety of percentages, not to mention the rumors of additives or preservatives. So the Dairy Farmers of Washington — in honor of June being Dairy Month — have created the following information, designed to help clear the air in the milk aisle.
Types of Milk
Whole milk: A good choice for children ages 1-2 years and contains 150 calories and 8 grams (g) of fat per 8-fluid oz. serving.
Reduced fat milk: Whole milk in which the milk fat level has been reduced from 3.25 percent to 2 percent (hence its popular name, “2 percent milk”)….
Low fat milk: Whole milk in which the milk fat level has been reduced from 3.25 percent to 1 percent (hence its popular name, “1 percent milk”). Low fat milk contains 100 calories and 2.5 g of fat per 8-fluid oz. serving.
Fat-free milk: Whole milk in which the milk fat level has been reduced from 3.5 percent to essentially none. It is often referred to as “skim milk.” Fat-free milk contains 80 calories and 0 g of fat per 8-fluid oz. serving.
Flavored milk: Milk to which a flavoring — such as cocoa or cocoa powder, strawberry or vanilla extract — and a sweetener have been added…
Cultured Buttermilk: Valued as a recipe ingredient and digestive aid. Buttermilk is freshly pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized fat-free or low-fat milk with added fat-free dry milk solids and a natural culture for taste.
Acidophilus milk: A great digestive aid. Acidophilus milk is pasteurized milk — usually low fat or fat-free…
Reduced lactose milks: For people coping with lactose maldigestion. They are available in reduced fat, low fat and fat-free varieties.…
Low sodium milk: For people on salt-restricted diets with 95 percent or more of the sodium that occurs naturally in milk removed.
Eggnog: Typically a holiday beverage treat that contains milk, egg yoke, egg white and nutritive carbohydrate sweetener.
Terms and Definitions
Organic milk and non-organic milk: Identical in their composition, nutritive characteristics, taste, purity and safety attributes. Alleged differences between them have not been scientifically substantiated. Organic production methods emphasize recycling resources and promoting biodiversity, and these aims are valued by some consumers. Both milks, however, must meet the same rigid content and safety standards.
Pasteurization: A process that heats “raw” milk to 145 degrees F for 30 minutes, then quickly cools it to 38 degrees F. This process disarms certain enzymes and potentially harmful microorganisms and bacteria, while increasing the shelf life of dairy products. Pasteurization has negligible effect on the taste and nutritive characteristics of milk.
“Raw” milk: Milk that has not been pasteurized and should not be consumed according to the USDA, FDA, Centers for Disease Control and other health authorities. Raw milk can contain a variety of harmful microorganisms that are destroyed by the pasteurization process.
Homogenization: Gives milk a smoother and more uniform texture. Without homogenization, cream would separate from other components of milk and rise to the top. Homogenization has no effect on the nutritive characteristics of milk. Homogenized milk must also be pasteurized.
Fortification: A process that restores Vitamin A and D that is lost when the milk fat content has been reduced or eliminated. Vitamin A and D are essential for the skin, immune system, vision and calcification of bones.
Soy “milk” and other plant-based beverages: These beverages are not really milks according to the legal definition. Soy beverage is an emulsion of oil, water and protein from whole soybeans. While it contains about the same amount of protein as cow’s milk, it is deficient in calcium and some vitamins and is not suitable for infants.
Hormones are found in small amounts in all foods derived from animals. All milk naturally contains traces of bovine somatotropin (BST), a cow growth hormone. A man-made duplicate of BST — called recombinant bovine somatotropin or rest — is sometimes administered to cows to stimulate them to produce more milk. However, BST and rest are non-reactive in human beings; they have a biological effect only in cows. Organic milk contains the same hormone, in the same amounts, as non-organic milk.
No milk sold in the U.S. contains harmful antibiotics or pesticides. All milk is tested repeatedly to ensure that it is free of harmful substances; all milk that fails these tests is destroyed. The FDA Milk Drug Residue follow-up testing program ensures that all milk conforms to purity standards mandated by law. The notion that milk is laced with dangerous antibiotics and pesticides is a myth….
Full article at Kitsap Sun.
