Food and nutrition.pdf

Chapter 22MilkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands offemale mammals (including monotremes). It provides the primary sourceof nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digest othertypes of food.The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries themother's antibodies to the baby.It can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. The exactcomponents of raw milk varies by species, but it contains significantamounts of saturated fat, protein and calcium as well as vitamin C. Cow'smilk has a pH ranging from 6.4 to 6.8, making it slightly acidic.MODERN PRODUCTIONIn the Western world today, cow milk is produced on an industrialscale. It is by far the most commonly consumed form of milk in the westernworld.Commercial dairy farming using automated milking equipmentproduces the vast majority of milk in developed countries. Types of cattlesuch as the Holstein have been specially bred for increased milkproduction. 90% of the dairy cows in the United'States and 85% in GreatBritain are Holsteins. Other milk cows in the United States includeAyrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey, and Milking Shorthorn. Thelargest producers of dairy products and milk today are India followed bythe United States and China. In India, Amul, a cooperative owned jointlyby 2.6 million small farmers was the engine behind the success ofOperation Flood.ProcessingIn most Western countries, a centralised dairy facility processes milkand products obtained from milk (dairy products), such as cream, butter,and cheese. In the United States, these dairies are usually local companies,while in the southern hemisphere facilities may be run by very largenationwide or trans-national corporations.