What’s in your dairy case? (copy) (copy) (copy)
As we have learned in the past few weeks, the dairy case has a specific location and purpose in most of our supermarkets and grocery stores. I am asked time to time about the differences in one dairy product over another and usually also hear of a preference to one brand or another… which is fine. These conversations do point out that a fitting end to our month-long tribute to the dairy industry here in these pages might be a look into the variety of products that come from milk.
Milk itself is a product and as such has a legal definition of which processors must comply. As an undergraduate in Dairy Science at Virginia Tech in the early 1980s, we were expected to commit the following to memory: MILK “is the whole, clean, fresh lacteal secretion obtained from the milking of healthy cows that shall contain not less than 3.25% fat and 8.25% solid not fat.”
It is important to note the content specifications of milk because these are the basis for the establishment of rules regarding other products as well — how much fat or protein they do or do not have. Ice cream is a great example. Like the name suggests, ice cream is a frozen product made from cream. Milk is often adding to the mixture as well as other flavorings and sweeteners. Up to 60% of the volume of the container is air. This is introduced in the whipping process and gives ice cream a light and fluffy texture.
Once again, the amount of fat in the product affects the labeling of the product. Premium ice cream has between 11% and 15% butterfat. While this ice cream is richer and denser you pay for it in the calorie count. Usually these premium ice creams come in small containers and have "gourmet" style flavorings. Regular ice cream is somewhat less dense and contains 10% to 11% butterfat. This type of ice cream is sold in the standard larger containers and contains the standard flavorings. This style is perfect for milkshakes. Economy ice cream has exactly 10% butterfat by law. No frills here.
Butter is also a product that relies on fat content for its existence. Butter is the emulsification of butterfat in milk that coagulates as milk or cream is churned. The slightly acidic milk left after butter is churned is called buttermilk. All commercially sold buttermilk is cultured. This means that a safe lactic acid producing bacterial culture is added to freshly pasteurized skim or low-fat milk to produce the buttermilk. It is much thicker than skim milk and Is higher in sodium than other milk. Buttermilk is a good thirst quencher.
Half-and-half is made by homogenizing a mixture of milk and cream. It must contain at least 10.5% milkfat, but not more than 18%. Light cream and heavy cream are also separated by fat content. Light cream must be at least 30% fat but not more than 36%. Heavy cream must be at least 36% milk fat.
Cheese is another matter all together!
Generally speaking, cheese is made from curds of milk that has been heated, treated with rennet or another enzymatic ingredient, and the whey has been drained away. The fresh curds are cut and placed in a hoop or square mold where they are pressed to form the cheese wheel or block. Seasoning, mold treatments (both natural and introduced), and time that it is aged, all have a bearing on the type of cheese that will be produced. Cottage cheese is made without the addition of rennet so it stays moister and fluffier than hard cheeses. Hard cheeses can be made and sold from raw, unpasteurized milk; however, it must be aged at least 60 days.
Dr. Andy Overbay is the agriculture and natural resources extension agent for Smyth County.
