Modern mixtures or store-bought milk - which is better? Store-bought or homemade dairy products - which are healthier.

There is nothing tastier homemade fresh milk! I can say this with full confidence now. And as a child, my grandmother literally followed me on my heels with a small cup warm milk in a wrinkled hand, persuading me to drink at least a little. And I, a child of 6–7 years old, stamped my foot and declared: “I won’t!” No wonder, because in the summer at the grandmother's, children are supposed to relax, and not do what adults say.

I would like to return that time, wrap myself in a blanket, pour fresh milk into a large cup, take it and spend the whole evening watching your favorite movie. But it is possible to do so! It is enough to buy a carton of milk in the store, boil it and enjoy. But the taste is not the same, everyone will notice it. And it's not even that you are no longer in the village. It's just hard to name what they offer in the store real healthy milk.

Edible and not so additives

Harm of milk from the store

Getting into gastrointestinal tract together with milk, antibiotics are partially absorbed into the blood, and with it they are already carried throughout the body. Bacteria do not suffer from a small dose. But thanks to this dose, they begin change your genetic code and to this species antibiotics are no longer susceptible.

Hydrogen peroxide is a fairly powerful oxidizing agent. When ingested, it acts as free radicals. Peroxide begins to affect cells, destroys them and leads to mutation of cell nuclei in the DNA chain.

And now the answer to eternal question: “Why doesn’t store-bought milk turn sour?” Precisely because it contains such a large number of preservatives and additives, stabilizers and flavors.

How to really choose quality milk? If you don't have a grandmother in the country and you have to buy products in a store, don't pay attention to the brand and price. There are two characteristics that need to be checked when choosing dairy products: composition and.

The shelf life of pasteurized milk should not exceed 72 hours. If it is much longer, it's time to think about what chemistry you owe forever fresh milk in a refrigerator.

So how often do you buy milk in the store? Think how much harmful substances already got into the blood and accumulated on the walls. But it's never too late to start keeping track of what you buy and cook food for yourself and your children. Share information with your friends and followers. It's time to change your outlook on familiar things.

The composition of milk is very diverse. It includes about 100 different components.

Proteins are represented by casein, lactoalbumin, lactoglobulin. The latter has bactericidal properties, which is why drinking milk is so useful for colds. Just do not boil it, as some of the amino acids and proteins precipitate.

What is useful milk

Milk fat contains both saturated and unsaturated fatty acid, and despite the fact that there are about 1.5 times more saturated, milk fat is well absorbed, as it is in this product in the form of an emulsion. In addition, it has a well-balanced cholesterol and lecithin.

Milk sugar - lactose - is found only in milk. It is the main energy supplier for babies. Some people cannot drink milk precisely because they are lactose sensitive.

Calcium and phosphorus are found in milk in large numbers and in a good proportion.

Summer milk contains many vitamins A, D, E, winter time milk is rich in vitamins B2 and B6. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in milk is negligible, besides, it is lost during boiling and pasteurization. Relatively little in milk and iron with magnesium.

What are the benefits of dairy products

Cream is richer than milk in fat, but poorer in proteins, sugar and mineral salts. Compared with low fat milk, in cream there are much more phosphorus salts and a lot of lecithin.

Lactic acid products (yogurt, fermented baked milk, kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.). Lactic acid bacteria involved in the fermentation of milk and cream produce B vitamins - substances that have antibacterial properties and the ability to inhibit the growth of putrefactive microbes in the intestines.

Proteins under the influence of lactic acid bacteria turn into small and delicate flakes polypeptides that are absorbed by the body faster than untreated milk proteins.

Lactose is converted to lactic acid. People who are hypersensitive to lactose can safely consume sour milk products.

Calcium and phosphorus are more easily broken down and absorbed faster, as this is facilitated by lactic acid.

Is store-bought milk good for you?

In today's world, such a product - it would seem the most natural and natural - like milk can soon be listed in the Red Book. Store shelves are filled with pasteurized, sterilized, reconstituted milk and milk drinks.

The recent melamine scandal in China forced our authorities to impose a ban on the import of powdered milk and dairy products from China, but where is the guarantee that the same powder has not passed through customs earlier and is not lying somewhere in the manufacturer's warehouse, waiting in the wings.

Recall that due to high content Melamine in milk in China affected 53,000 children, four of whom died. Milk producers have successfully diluted conventional cow's milk water, and since its consistency noticeably thinned, melamine, used for the manufacture of plastics, was added to such milk, which brought the protein content in milk to the required amount.

In addition to melamine, antibiotics can also be found in milk, which are used to treat sick dairy cows. Such cows should be separated from the general herd, but who will monitor this? Very often, such milk ends up in a common tank.

Milk fat substitute may also be present in milk. Natural milk fat, taken from whole milk, is not cheap, and has long been in short supply, so manufacturers do not hesitate to add a substitute to sour cream, cottage cheese and other dairy products.

Normalized reconstituted or “recombined” milk cannot be called real and healthy either - it is restored from milk powder, in which oxysterols are formed when it is dried. They affect blood vessels more actively than cholesterol, and according to the results of recent medical experiments, they can lead to cancer. Therefore, natural and powdered milk are not identical products in terms of their usefulness.

Therefore, if you choose from all types of milk, then the “most useful”, which retained at least some share of naturalness, remains pasteurized. During pasteurization, milk is heated to 67 degrees for 30 minutes. This is the most gentle way of processing natural milk, used almost everywhere in the world. Thus, the manufacturer kills two birds with one stone - it increases the shelf life of the product and carries out its antibacterial treatment.

The situation with sterilization is much more complicated - milk is heated to 100 degrees several times, after which it is instantly cooled. This method completely destroys all the enzymes contained in milk, and is used for long-term transportation. Alas, the formula for store-bought milk today is as follows - than longer term storage, the more useless the liquid inside the package.

According to latest research, on average, each Russian consumes only 240 kg of dairy products per year. This is clearly not enough from a physiological point of view. The consumption rate is about 380 kg.

Drinking milk per capita in Russia accounts for about 30 liters, while in the EU countries - from 80 to 130 liters. Average consumption fermented milk drinks(kefir and others) in Russia - about 16 liters per person per year, which is 2-2.5 times less than in developed countries. Cheese Russians consume about 7 kg per year, while in Germany, Greece, France, Switzerland - more than 20 kg. Hence the main recommendation of Russian nutritionists is to drink more milk and fermented milk drinks, eat more curd and cheese.

In this article, our experts from the dairy industry told you why milk is so useful and how to choose the right one in the store.

Milk composition

Milk has a complex composition, which depends on many factors: the physiological state of the animal, breed, diet, season. The milk of animals of the same species (for example, cows) may have different values ​​in different animals.

In general, the composition of milk is quite complex. The product contains more than a hundred organic (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, enzymes, vitamins) and inorganic (water, mineral salts, gases) substances.

Milk proteins are the most valuable component milk. They are more complete than the proteins of meat and fish, and are digested faster. Protein is essential for the formation of new cells in the human body. Milk proteins are composed of three components: casein, albumin and globulin, which are dissolved in raw milk.

All milk proteins belong to the group of complete ones, i.e. those that contain all 20 amino acids. Among them - 8 essential amino acids, which cannot be synthesized in the human body and must be supplied with food. The absence of at least one of them entails metabolic disorders. Among the essential amino acids, three are especially important: methionine, lysine and tryptophan.

lactose - milk sugar. Is a stimulant nervous system and prophylactic for cardiovascular diseases.

Despite the use of lactose in medicinal purposes, in many people, lactose is not absorbed and causes disturbances in the work digestive system. These people lack or produce insufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase. The purpose of lactase is to break down lactose into its parts, glucose and galactose, which must then be adsorbed by the small intestine. With insufficient lactase function, lactose remains in the intestine in its original form, binds water and causes further digestive disorders.

As geneticists found out, humanity did not immediately learn to benefit from such unique product like milk. Milk tolerance appeared only with the spread of the lactose tolerance gene. This gene is known to have originated in Northern Europe about 5000 BC e., where it currently has the highest frequency. Good tolerance milk sugar gave the carriers of this gene an advantage in the fight for survival and allowed them to spread widely.

Violation of lactase synthesis is the cause of congenital milk intolerance in newborns. In some adults, lactase activity may decrease, and then dairy products will also be poorly digested. The reason for this is the disease digestive tract or prolonged abstinence from drinking milk. But these changes are not associated with age, but with the characteristics of the digestive system of an individual.

milk fat- a rich source of energy for the body. Fat is easily digestible. It is found in milk in the form of tiny fat globules. Milk fat is the most complete: it contains all currently known fatty acids, including essential ones, which are not synthesized by the body, but must be supplied with food. Milk fat is rich in vitamins A, D, E and K, which are almost absent in other animal fats.

Minerals - salts of calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, citric, phosphoric, hydrochloric and other acids. They are found in milk in an easily digestible form. Milk contains trace elements in small amounts: cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese, fluorine, bromine, iodine, arsenic, silicon, boron, vanadium, etc. Trace elements are necessary to restore blood, lymph, gastric and intestinal juice, sweat, saliva, tears etc. Without their participation, the activity of such important endocrine glands as the thyroid, genital, etc. would be impossible.

Vitamins. Milk contains fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (groups B and ascorbic acid). Currently, over 30 vitamins are known to be found in milk. However, it is a significant source of only three of them:

• Vitamin A - retinol. Formed in the intestinal mucosa of animals from feed carotenes. daily requirement human in vitamin A - 1 mg. summer milk richer in this vitamin, unlike winter. Storing milk leads to a decrease in the content of vitamin A. This vitamin withstands heat well (up to 120 ° C) without air access. Destroyed by oxygen and light.
• Vitamin B1 is thiamine. The daily requirement for it is 2 mg. Decomposes in an alkaline environment.
• Vitamin B2 - riboflavin. The daily requirement is also 2 mg. Pasteurization of milk almost does not reduce the content of this vitamin.

Name of milk and fat content

The name of the milk that comes for sale in the store must indicate the degree heat treatment(pasteurized, sterilized, ultra-pasteurized). The lower it is (the lowest temperature treatment is from 63 to 120 ° C in pasteurized), the shorter the shelf life of the product.

With which fat content to choose, each is determined independently: it depends on the preference of the consumer and the purpose of using milk.

Date of production (manufacturing) of the product and expiration date

This information is usually represented by two rows of numbers representing the day, month and year. For example: 05/11/11, production date, 05/26/11. expiration date (use before the specified date).

Pasteurized milk can be stored in a package at a temperature of about 4°C from 3 to 20 days. After opening the package, milk should be used within 24 hours.

Sterilized milk can have a shelf life of 45 days to 6-8 months.

UHT milk has a shelf life of 6 to 12 months.

NB! Don't buy products that expire the next day.

Integrity and cleanliness of packaging, placement in the store

Even slight damage to the packaging leads to spoilage of milk. Therefore, be sure to evaluate how the milk is packaged. Also, conscientious manufacturers put clearly readable information on the label and provide their phone numbers and contacts for feedback and possible complaints.

All dairy products (except for sterilized, powdered and condensed milk) should be on refrigerated shelves, and not stand on pallets in the hall.

NB! Milk purchased in the markets from private individuals, from flasks, cans or tanks, is subject to compulsory boiling.