Milking It! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Butterfat

A cow's milk naturally contains butterfat, which is also called milk fat. Many countries have regulations regarding the amount of butterfat that different types of milk can contain. In the United States, for example, skim milk has less than 0.5% fat, while whole milk is comprised of at least 3.25% fat. Foods like desserts and cheeses are sold according to other regulatory requirements for fat. Butter is made up of at least 80% butterfat.

Answer: Calcium

Drinking milk is an easy way to get one's daily requirement of calcium, which is the most abundant mineral in the human body, and essential for good health - not just of the bones and teeth, but also for the nervous system and muscle function. It is found naturally in milk; one cup has 300 mg of calcium. Children who are aged 4-8 need at least 1,000 mg/day, while children who are 9-13 need 1,300 mg/day. That's a lot of milk every day, you might say! Well, don't forget that other foods, such as oranges, almonds, and soy beans, also contain calcium.

Answer: Curds

Curds are formed when additives such as rennets (enzymes from the stomachs of ruminant mammals like cows) or acidic substances (lemon juice or vinegar) are placed in the milk. The acidity in these additives causes the milk proteins to clump together, or coagulate. Raw milk that has been left to sour will also produce curds.

The types of products made with curd include cottage cheese, queso blanco, and paneer.

Answer: Fluid Milk

Fluid milk is the milk that is processed for beverage use. According to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), it is defined as "the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained from the complete milking of one or more healthy cows. Milk that is in its final package form for beverage use shall have been pasteurized or ultrapasteurized, and shall contain not less than 8.25% solids and not less than 3.25% milk fat". Yikes! What does that mean? Well, first the milk has to be obtained from a cow (or mammal) that is not pregnant.

It must be obtained from a healthy animal and have gone through the pasteurization process and contain the appropriate solids and milk fat. Many times fluid milk has also been fortified with essential Vitamins A and D.

Answer: Industrial Milk

There is a vast variety of foods that are made with milk, including cheese, butter, milk powder, and casein, which is a protein made of the curds of milk. The term "industrial milk", however, is not usually used to describe fresh products, such as cream or yoghurt, that are made with milk.

Answer: Lactose

Lactose is a sugar that is naturally found in milk, making up 2-8% of its total content by weight. The amount of lactose in milk depends on the species of mammals that is producing it; new mothers that are breast feeding babies produce a milk that is very rich in lactose. Some individuals are lactose intolerant, meaning that they have difficulty in digesting milk and milk products.

Answer: Milk Solids

The term "milk solids" is used to describe what is left of the milk after all the water is removed from liquid milk. It is a dry powder and is similar in texture to instant milk products that can be purchased at the store and used in cooking recipes or added to water for drinking. Non-fat milk solids are typically added to ice cream or yoghurt to add richness without adding extra fat.

Answer: Raw Milk

Raw milk has not been pasteurized; in other words, it is straight from the cow (or other mammal) and has not been heated to remove any contaminants. Isn't that the way people had been drinking milk for centuries? Yes! And sometimes they drank milk from sick animals that in turn made them sick! Pasteurization wasn't discovered as a process until 1864 or widely used until the turn of the 20th century.

It was found that removing contaminants from milk would give it a longer shelf life. There is still, however, a debate over the nutritional value of raw vs. pasteurized milk.

Answer: Whey

After the curds have been removed from milk, whey is the liquid that remains. The fat content of whey is very low. It is not only used for making types of cheese, such as ricotta, or butter, but also is used as an additive in food such as bread or crackers. In many recipes it can be used as an alternative ingredient to skim milk.

Answer: Retinol

Drinking milk provides one with many different natural vitamins, such as A and D. The consumption of Vitamin A is important to healthy eyes and skin, as well as the manufacturing of white blood cells. A cup of whole milk provides 100 IU (international unit) of Vitamin A; it is recommended that a child between the ages of four and eight have 600 IU daily. Vitamin A is found in many foods, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and apricots.