Cow's milk: composition and properties.

This product is familiar to every inhabitant of our planet.Traditionally, milk is used in food children and adults.Scientists frighten us arguments about its harmful properties, but the fans of this product have not become less.

This is due to the fact that the milk - a unique composition and properties of natural products.In addition, the raw material for the production of a huge number of food products that we use with great pleasure and health benefits.Let this article a closer look cow's milk and the composition of its beneficial properties.

Milk - almost 90% water?

For many this fact is surprising, but the milk is actually 87.5% of water.All other surprising and useful components are concentrated in a 12.5% ​​solids.This was determined by a standard sample of milk drying to constant weight at a temperature of 105? C.As a result of such process water is completely evaporated and only the solids.But

liquid consistency milk caused no large amount of water, and the fact that all materials and compounds are in the solute state.

Milk is also characterized by SOMO indicator (dry non-fat milk solids).This value is obtained when the whole milk to remove fat and water.This indicator is normally not less than 9% and is an indication of the quality of the natural product.Cow's milk, whose composition has been depleted by dilution with water, will give SOMO figure much lower standard.

Useful if milk fat?

The content of milk fat in cow's milk is on average 3.5%.This rate is strictly controlled by farmers and the clerk of raw materials to factories.This characteristic affects the quality of the products: sour cream, cream, cottage cheese.

The composition of milk fat contains about 20 fatty acids.It is characterized by low melting temperature (25-30˚S) and point (17-28˚S).The peculiarity of this fat - its small teardrop-shaped structure in the composition of milk.This causes its high percentage (about 95%) of assimilation by the human body.

Due to the low specific weight, milk fat rises to the surface to form a layer of cream.This valuable product is loved by many, and contains a lot of useful fat-soluble vitamins: D, A, K, and E. Therefore, consumption of milk with natural levels of body fat enriched with biologically active substances and has beneficial effects on human health.

What makes milk proteins?

Cow's milk, whose composition includes proteins in an amount of 3.2% is considered a valuable nutritious product.This figure is strictly monitored and farmers, businesses and relevant industry.

milk protein is absorbed well by the human body - more than 95%.His feature - the content of essential amino acids, the lack of which leads to disruption of metabolic processes.These include the following:

• Methionine - exchanges of fats, preventing degeneration of the liver.
• Tryptophan - the starting material for the synthesis of serotonin and nicotinic acid.Its deficiency can lead to dementia, diabetes, tuberculosis and cancer.
• Lysine promotes normal blood formation.Its disadvantage is able to provoke anemia, metabolic nitrogenous substances and calcification of bone, muscular dystrophy, a malfunction of the liver and lungs.

mainly consists of milk protein casein.It is presented in two forms: alpha variety of causes allergies in some people, the beta form perceived by the person well.

Serum or sulfa protein content in milk - 0.6%, is a valuable nutrient and is widely used in the food industry.

In milk there microflora of tiny organisms that during the life allocate specific proteins - enzymes, or enzymes.These structures regulate the product in chemical processes and the action of each of them is strictly specific.Enzyme activity is pH dependent and temperature environment.Some of them help to assess the quality of milk:

• Lipase promotes the breakdown of fat into free fatty acids and glycerol.This changes the taste of milk for the worse, reducing its quality.The abundance of free fatty acids and their oxidation leads to rancidity of the product.
• peroxidase - thermo enzyme is an indicator that milk pasteurized at 80 ° C.
• Catalase splits hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.The milk from sick cows catalase level is high enough.
• phosphatase cleaves to phosphoric acid esters and alcohols, and destroyed the normal pasteurization.Its absence confirms the smooth conduct of pasteurization.

milk sugar and its transformation

The chemical composition of cow's milk include a special connection - lactose, or milk sugar.For this component of the human body serves as the energy source.Enzyme lactase breaks down lactose to glucose and galactose.

Milk sugar helps to suppress the activity of pathogenic microflora putrid.Lactose has beneficial effects on the nervous and cardiovascular activity of the human body.

In some people, there is the problem of rejection of milk sugar, called lactase deficiency.This disease can be congenital or developed over the years.The reason may be transferred bowel disease or long-term abstinence from drinking milk.

Microorganisms produce, as already mentioned, a special enzyme - lactase, which breaks down the milk sugar to form simpler compounds: glucose and galactose.The first of the obtained substances is a favorite food for most bacteria.Further, this is what happens to glucose, which is part of cow's milk: it is fermented microorganisms, releasing lactic acid, alcohol and carbon dioxide.In the human intestine as a result of this transformation creates a slightly acidic environment which is conducive to the development of beneficial flora acidophilus.The activity of bacteria putrefaction thus suppressed.

Minerals

milk Cow's milk, the composition of which includes organic and mineral components, is a source of valuable nutrients for the human body.The peculiarity of it is that the mutual action of the substances leads to the best assimilation.The composition of the milk are the following major elements:

• Calcium - present in a digestible form and in balance with phosphorus.It is in the form of ions (10%) in the form of phosphate and citrate (68%), in conjunction with casein (22%).The total content of this element in the milk - 100-140 mg, wherein the summer is lower.
• Phosphorus , the content of which is in the range 74-130 mg, is present in two forms.It is part of the inorganic compounds in the form of calcium phosphates and other metals.Also included in phosphorus organic substances - ethers, casein, phospholipids, enzymes, nucleic acids.
• Magnesium , the content of which is in the range 12-14 mg, beneficial effects on the nervous, digestive and reproductive rights, improves the immune system.
• Potassium (135-170 mg) and sodium (30-77 mg) support osmosis and buffering of all human body fluids.They increase the solubility of many compounds and mineral acids, casein micelles;
• Chlorine (90-120 mg) is an indicator of the health of the animal.Increasing the concentration of 30% indicates the presence of mastitis in cows.

The composition of the milk is also a large number of trace elements.Despite the fact that their content is very small, these substances have a huge impact on the normal functioning of the human body.Milk contains iron, copper, zinc, manganese, iodine, molybdenum, fluorine, aluminum, silicon, selenium, tin, chromium, lead.All of them provide for physiological processes in humans.Table

milk composition

Indicators composite milk components may vary.These data influence the breed of cows, feed quality, time of year and many more.But the average composition of cow's milk, the table below, are reduced to the following indicators:

useful and harmful trace components of milk

The composition of whole cow's milk include vitamins, enzymes and pigments.Their content is measured in hundredths and thousandths of a percent, but the value of these substances is very high.They have a high biological activity, and even a very small, their presence is important to the human body.

currently found in the milk of about 50 vitamins, among which are water-soluble - B1, B2, C - and soluble - A, D, E, K. The presence of these biologically active components causes favor milk for human health, as their effectphysiology is difficult to overestimate.

But the composition of the product and may include substances that can harm the body.Their content is also very small, but even these small doses can cause great harm to human health.These include:

• Toxic elements: arsenic (not more than 0.05 mg / kg), lead (not more than 0.1 mg / kg), mercury (0.005 mg / kg), cadmium (0.03 mg / kg).

They can get into the milk with feed or packaging.Their number is strictly rationed and controlled.

• Mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin M1, are highly toxic products of fungi with a pronounced carcinogenic effect.In milk together with the feed, is not eliminated by pasteurization.Its contents are strictly rationed beyond 0.0005 mg / L.
• antibiotics - tetracyclines, penicillins, chloramphenicol, streptomycin.
• inhibitors - soda and other detergents and disinfectants.
• pesticides and radionuclides (strontium-90, cesium-137) - along with the feed.
• hormones in the form of estrogen found in fresh milk.Therefore, to avoid this kind of hormonal disorders of the product to give to children is not recommended.
• various pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms.

Thus, cow's milk, composition and properties which are directly dependent on nutrition and animal welfare, can bring not only benefit, but harm.By buying this product should not trust industrial companies, proven in the market.Typically, such laboratory testing milk passes at all process stages, and the content of all the beneficial and detrimental substances is strictly controlled.Product purchased from private traders to natural market - it is a mystery, both for the seller and for the buyer.Do not risk your own health, yielding to the tempting call to buy "real homemade milk."

The remarkable goat's milk?

Some people currently prefer goat moloku.Oni attribute this to the presence of the obvious advantages of the product.The composition of goat's and cow's milk is really a little different.Here are some facts proving the difference between these two products:

• cobalt content of the goat milk higher than in cow product to 6 times.
• in goat milk is virtually absent alpha-1S-casein, which gives it the status of hypoallergenic product.
• lactose in the milk of goats less than in cow at 53%.This makes it easy for people with lactose digestion deficiency.
• fat content of goat's milk - 4.4%, and 69% of acids - polyunsaturated and fight cholesterol.
• in goat milk is much less pathogenic microorganisms.

Which milk is best?

What kind of milk to eat - cow or goat - you decide.Both are worthy of respect and are considered to be valuable and useful for health.The main thing - keep in mind the security and not to buy goods of dubious quality.Resist the temptation to try the fresh milk market.It can be a lot of harmful bacteria and toxic substances.It is best to buy the elapsed proper control and certification.This way you can protect yourself and your family from the threat that estimate with the naked eye it is simply impossible.Drink quality milk with pleasure!