Milk is an important source of healthy nutrients such as vitamins A, B-2, B-12, and minerals including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.

In addition to these nutrients, milk also contains fat, carbohydrates, and protein in the form of glucose which gives the milk a slightly sweet taste.

There are various products that are created from milk such as cheese, cream, yogurt, and buttermilk. Since they are produced from milk, they are known as “dairy products”.

How Dairy Products Are Produced?

1.    Cream

The cream is the type of dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer. It is skimmed from the top of the milk before it undergoes the process of homogenization.

Before homogenization, the fat rises to the top but this process takes time. In the industrial production, this process is elevated by using centrifuges known as separators.

2.    Cheese

Cheese comes in a number of varieties and each variety goes through an entirely different making process depending on its ingredients and characteristics.

Typically, cheese is made from pasteurized or raw milk. Varieties of cheese made from raw milk impart a different flavor and texture to the finished product.

3.    Buttermilk

Buttermilk is made from the residual liquid that remains after the butter is churned out from milk. It is generally flecked with tiny spots of sweet and creamy butter.

4.    Yogurt

In order to produce yogurt, fresh milk is fermented. The fermentation process includes the addition of lactic bacteria into the heated, pasteurized, and homogenized milk.

The bacteria help convert the lactose into lactic acid. It eventually thickens up which gives the milk a tangy taste. When the milk reaches this stage, it is transformed into yogurt.

How Skim Milk Is Produced?

The fresh milk has to sit and settle for a while, the cream where most of the fat resides is left behind with time. This is a traditional way of producing skimmed milk.

The quicker and modernized way of making low-fat or skim milk is by adding the whole milk into a machine – centrifugal separator.

The machine separates the fat globules out of the milk. However, during the skimming process, vitamin A and vitamin D are lost. Federal law mandates that milk solids must be added in the milk as they help compensate for the essential nutrients that are lost from the processed milk.

Amita Vadlamudi likes to research and write about food and agriculture topics. See Ms. Vadlamudi’s other articles on similar subjects on her Wix Website. Her resume can be found at https://www.f6s.com/amitavadlamudi