We grew up knowing and drinking mainly two types of milk – cow milk and buffalo milk. However, in the health-conscious world that we live in today, we are bestowed with a wide range of milk that comes in various forms and variability, making it difficult for us to distinguish and decide. Here in this article, we shall share eight major types of milk with their qualities and differences that are available in the Indian market for us to consume and slurp on –
Full Cream Milk
Whole milk or full cream milk is the milk that contains all the milk fat – neither anything is added nor removed from this milk after it is collected from the diary. However, it does undergo pasteurization. This creamy milk possesses a milk fat percentage of 6% while the milk solid not-fat (SNF) content is 9%.
Standardized Milk
Made using buffalo, cow, goat, and/or a blend of these three or maybe two, Standardized milk is milk were (going by the FSSAI standards) the milk fat content is 4.5% and SNF (Milk Solids not Fat) content is 8.5%. the red color Amul Gold available in the market is Standardized milk.
Skimmed Milk
Skimmed milk is whole milk minus half of the cream as the fat content is removed mechanically. The fat percentage is only 0.5% and the solid non-fat content is around 8.7%. It has all the nutrients that whole milk has even slightly more calcium but lower levels of fat-soluble vitamins.
Toned Milk
A mixture of buffalo and cow’s milk, toned milk is a homogenized standardized milk where the SNF content is the same as Standardized i.e., 8.5% but the milk fat content is 3%. Being homogenous milk, it has no deposition of fat. This milk has to go through an alkaline phosphate test which may indicate whether or not the milk has been soiled with raw milk post-pasteurization.
Double toned Milk
Again, a mixture of cow and buffalo milk, double toned has 1.5% i.e., half the milk fat content of toned milk, and a SNF of 9.0%.
Lactose-Free Milk
In this variant of milk, lactose (natural sugar) is broken down which makes it tolerable for people suffering from lactose intolerance and they are given lactose-free milk. This milk however possesses all the other significant nutrients as other types of milk.
Organic Milk
Organic milk comes from dairy farms that are never given any form of antibiotic or hormonal injections and follow strict standards of organic dairy practices where cows/buffalos are given organic fodder.
A2 Milk – One of the Healthy Types of Milk
Cow milk is of two types a. the one that is with only A2 beta-casein b. the one that is with A1 beta-casein and may have A2 beta-casein in traces. Interestingly, milk with only A2 beta-casein is believed to be healthier and safer. Only the cows that have a hump like certain desi breeds in India such as Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Khillari etc. come with A2 beta-casein protein. If you get A2 milk from a known source, it is a healthier choice, especially for infants, and kids.
In the Indian market, these eight types of milk are currently sold in commercial markets as well as online by various known brands.
Let us know which one of these you prefer.
