** Colour of Milk

Why is Milk white?

Those chalky-white mustaches that color our lips after chugging down a refreshing ice-cold glass of creamy milk is caused by the protein called Casein.

Rich in calcium, Casein helps contribute to milk's white color.

In addition, the cream that is found in milk contains white colored fat. The more cream in milk the more white it is.

Low and non-fat milk appear more grayish rather than white because they contain less cream.

Another reason milk looks white to our naked eyes is because some objects do not absorb very much light. Rather than absorb light, these objects reflect light. For instance, red colored objects reflect only red light and absorb the other colors of light in the rainbow spectrum. The molecules that make up Casein and cream reflect light. That's why milk is white.

Did you know?

• Calcium and Vitamin D are the two ingredients of milk that make it such a healthy beverage. While calcium is a major nutrient for us that gives us strong bones and healthy teeth, Vitamin D is a nutrient that is needed by humans to produce healthy bones.

• While milk is being squeezed from the cow's udders, it leaves the cow's body at a high temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the milk is quickly cooled and stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

• In order to make 9 gallons of milk a day, a cow must drink 18 gallons of fresh, clean water (2 gallons of water for every gallon of milk).
  

• Doctors and nutritionists recommend that everyone should drink about 2 glasses of milk a day to stay healthy and prevent osteoporosis (the disease that causes the deterioration of our bones).
  

• The average cow produces 90 glasses of milk per day.
  

• Milk usually arrives at grocery stores about 2 days after is it pumped from the cow.
  

• Chocolate milk contains the same essential ingredients as white milk - calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, high quality protein, and magnesium. The only difference between white and chocolate milk is that chocolate milk contains about 60 more calories because of the sucrose and other nutrient sweeteners that are added to it.