There is no need to convince anyone that milk is a valuable health product. It contains in a balanced form all the nutrients. The most useful is goat milk. 100 g of this product contains 3.2 g of protein and 3.6 g of fat. Cow's milk has approximately the same parameters. Its fat content is slightly higher, and its nutritional value is 64.4 kcal. The most sparing figure is mare's milk. The protein in it is only 2.1 grams, and even less fat - 1.9 g. But a lot of milk sugar is 5.8 g. Sheep milk has the highest protein and fat content (5.6 and 7.8 g, respectively ) But in this article we will only talk about cow's milk. What is its fat content in whole product, cream and sour-milk derivatives? Let's get it right.
How fat is cow's milk?
Lactose has beneficial biological properties. It contains a protein-lecithin complex and arachidonic acid, which play an important role in our metabolism. These balls of fat, after some time after milking, rise up. So cream is formed. At the bottom of the cot is expressed milk. It is already low-fat, because it gave some part of it to cream. It is understood that such a product is desirable for dieters. But what happens to milk next? It is pasteurized, sterilized, dried to a powder, and then diluted with water, enriched with all kinds of vitamins. They also make melted, ionic, condensed. Not to mention lactic acid products. It is logical that cow milk has a different fat content. It depends on what processing the product went through.
The benefits of cow's milk
All vitamins known to science are presented in this food product. As for minerals, phosphorus and calcium salts are most important for health. They are necessary for strengthening bones, and also strengthen memory. Lactose, or milk sugar, is absorbed by the stomach more slowly than others. But in most people, it does not cause excessively intense digestion in the intestines. On the contrary, lactic acid bacteria inhibit the development of putrefactive processes in the intestine. Therefore, cow's milk, whose fat content ranges from one to six percent, is useful in any form. But there are people who do not tolerate this product from their very birth.
Harm to cow's milk
In this world, every barrel of honey has its own fly in the ointment. In the case of milk, the problem is a possible bacterial infection. Therefore, the crude product should be boiled. But then milk loses most of its valuable properties. There are also people who have not had an enzyme in their stomach since birth that is responsible for the absorption of lactose. Fortunately, the modern food industry produces special milk for them. Breast babies do not always tolerate weaning from the mother’s breast. Then cow's milk, the fat content of which remains unchanged, is replaced with ion milk. It is obtained synthetically, replacing calcium with an equal amount of potassium and sodium, as well as enriching it with vitamins C and B. There is also a special milk for patients suffering from protein deficiency. Its fat content remains standard - 2.5 percent. But the protein content is artificially increased. And finally, milk (as well as its derivatives) for losing weight. Everything is simple here. Milk is poured into special dishes - a separator. After that, the cream is removed, and skim milk is sterilized (boiled at a temperature of 150 ° C) or pasteurized (maintained at 75 ° C for thirty seconds, and then quickly cooled to 8 ° C).
What affects the fat content of the product?
We have already determined that manipulating whole milk can both reduce and enhance its nutritional properties. If 10% is indicated on the product bag, then this is cream. The percentage of fat content of baked milk is 6 units, normalized and restored - 3.2. On the packaging with a raw product that has undergone only mechanical cleaning, from 2 to 2.5% is listed. A low-fat product may even have 0.1%. But this indicator can change even without human intervention. To determine it, use a special device - a lactometer.
What affects the fat content of homemade cow's milk?
In addition to manipulating with milk, the percentage of lactose depends on many factors. The main one is the breed of cows. Breeders-livestock breeders specially remove milk or meat cows. The Jersey breed and the Fasion are considered especially valuable. Such cows give milk five to six percent fat content. The age of the animal also matters. An inverse relationship is traced between the amount of milk yield and the fat content of milk. The more liters a cow gives, the thinner the product. Lactation also affects fat content. After calving, the milk is liquid, and then it becomes thicker. Of course, feed plays a paramount role. Old hay, odorous afternoon grass, withered grass near the roadside or clover from flood meadows naturally affect the quality and fat content of the product. In this regard, milking time also matters. The fattest is daily milk, and the liquid is morning.