Milk Facts - Cow, Goat, Sheep

Source:WorkSmartLiveSmart.com

Not all milk is the same, we all know that, but besides the obvious like the animal and which breed, what is the real difference?  

All milk is made up of water, fat, protein, lactose and minerals but it is the composition of these constituents that makes the difference between them.  The fat and protein vary greatly.  The higher the solids content, the stronger the affect on the acidification and coagulation properties for cheese but also how the human body deals with it in milk form.  The fat and protein content in cow's and goat's milk are fairly similar compared to sheep' milk; however the structure of the fat and protein is what's important.


Fat Content

98% of the fat in milk consists of triglycerides and are made up of fatty acid chains that vary in length. This issue is the size of the fat globules and the type of protein chain.  Sheep and goat’s milk have short to medium chains producing smaller globules, cow’s milk has longer structures. The longer the chain length, the more easily it separates from the water but the more difficult for the human body to breakdown.

While sheep are notoriously difficult to milk, mostly because they have very small teats, the milk is naturally homogenized. This means the cream does not separate out of it but it also makes the milk easier to digest. Sheep produce less milk than their confrere.  The upside is it has a very high fat content with the finest fat globules of the lot.  Goat’s milk come second to sheep’s milk; with cow’s milk a distant third, having the largest fat globules and the longer fatty acid chains. Goat's milk is the closest to human milk and the least fatty of the three. It is the easiest on the human digestive system. It generally requires more milk to make cheese but because of the milks’ fat structure, the cheeses are less suited to aging.

Cow’s milk is the highest in water content of the three, which of course helps produce more quantity-wise.  The typical breeds used for ‘industrial’ milk produce milk that is less well rounded in terms of character.  For drinking, this is not an issue and the fact that due to its' structure, the cream rises and allows for making different percentages of fat content milk.  For cheese production, the regional breeds in most countries produce milk with more complexity and a higher fat content which makes for better cheeses.


Milk Protein

Milk protein differs between milk types.  There are two major types: caseins and whey proteins.  Casein being the major of the two is what transforms when making cheese.  In sheep’s milk 82% of the proteins are casein while it is 80% cow’s milk and 75% in goat’s milk, the rest being whey based. Casein protein has four different types and the proportions differ between the milk types – goat contains more of the beta caseins while cows’ has more alpha caseins with a particular one being the protein responsible for cows’ milk allergies. 

What is important for cheese is that casein coagulates to form the structural backbone of cheese curd. Sheep’s milk coagulates more rapidly and forms much firmer curd thus sheep’s milk produces twice the amount of cheese per unit compared to cow’s or goat’s milk. The richness and cheese yield of sheep's milk makes up for the lower quantity of milk per animal.  Goat’s milk with its lower amount of alpha casein and its beta casein has a lower yield (10 to 15 percent less) and is less adaptable to different cheese type.

It’s the sugar stupid!

Somebody who cannot digest lactose is said to be lactose intolerant. But it is the major sugar – not protein – found in animal milk that causes the problem here.  The intolerance comes when the body’s ability to synthesizing the lactase is compromised.  Lactase is the enzyme responsible for lactose metabolism and in the cheese making process, it is the energy source for our friendly bacteria.

All three of the milk types contain similar levels of lactose; therefore, one is not better than another for those with lactose intolerance when it comes to drinking or using milk.  The good news is that during the process of making and aging cheese, most lactose is lost when the whey drains off and the little that is left begins to convert to lactase.  The older the cheese, the less lactose!  So long aged cheeses like Comté, Beaufort or the Pyrenees sheep’s milk cheeses all have practically no lactose left in them.

Just a fun note:  Milks vary in colour. Cow’s milk tends to be yellow and varies by season because of the level of beta-carotene found in green forages.  Some breeds process this pigment differently or more efficiently and produce very yellow milk – Jersey cows being a good example.  Sheep and goat milks lack beta-carotene because they convert it into vitamin A which is not pigmented so these milks are whiter than cow’s milk.

Side by sidecomparison

Component	Unit	Cow Whole (3.25% fat)	Goat	Sheep
		--- Amount per 100 g ---
Overall Composition
Water	g	88.32	87.03	80.7
Energy	kcal	60	69	108
Carbohydrate2	g	4.52	4.45	5.36
Fat	g	3.25	4.14	7
Protein	g	3.22	3.56	5.98
Minerals (Ash)	g	0.69	0.82	0.96
Vitamins
Vitamin A	µg	28	57	44
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)	mg	0.183	0.138	0.355
Niacin (Vitamin B3)	mg	0.107	0.277	0.417
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)	mg	0.362	0.31	0.407
Vitamin C	mg	0	1.3	4.2
Vitamin D	IU	40	12	ND3
Minerals (Ash)
Calcium	mg	113	134	193
Magnesium	mg	10	14	18
Potassium	mg	143	204	137
Sodium	mg	40	50	44
Zinc	mg	0.4	0.3	0.54
Carbohydrate Detail
Lactose4	g	5.26	ND	ND
Fat Detail
Cholesterol	mg	10	11	27
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	1.865	2.677	4.603
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.812	1.109	1.724
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.195	0.149	0.308
Source:
http://www.milkfacts.info/Nutrition%20Facts/Nutrient%20Content.htm#Tab2

Excellence versus perfection

« If life were perfect, you wouldn’t have to live it! »  This is my mantra. It is what makes life interesting and even though I am sometimes seduced by the idea of perfection, as an interior designer and a project director for over 30 years, I have seen my fair share of designers painstakingly search for a perfect design solution, a perfect detail, a perfect whatever, to no avail!  One person’s perfection is another’s imperfection.  A far better and more satisfying option has always been to search for the expression of excellence.

Interior design/architecture has always been about being in the middle, being the bridge between a myriad of disciplines – client, architects, engineers, cost consultants, constructors, providers and suppliers, all sorts of points of view and visions; where the most oft heard statement is “my idea is the only idea!”.  Being the designer in the middle has always meant having to be inquisitive, creative, open, flexible and modest but above all respectful of all the various competing egos that make up a team.

So recently when a former colleague asked me to look at an addition to her CV that would explain why she was the appropriate candidate for an exciting new job, I got to thinking about perfection versus excellence. While the job was outside her discipline, it was by no means outside of her capabilities and expertise.  She has always been able to produce creative design ideas; recognized projects, cost effective solutions and well run project teams. In other words, she has always been able to create and foster excellence from a diverse and sometime disparate group of players.

Every job, every client, every team varies from the others for all sorts of reasons.  So why would this new discipline be different or more difficult for this talented designer/team leader than any other new project for her to be successful?  It wouldn’t!  The ability, passion and desire to create and foster excellence are the most important ingredients in any successful endeavour  not the perfect candidate.

So you ask, what does any of this have to do with cheese?  Cheese, like interior design, is no different; it is the ultimate team effort.  The environment, the animal, the cheese maker, the process, the production, the ageing, the selection are all part of this search to produce an excellent example of a cheese.  No not a perfect one because that can never exist, except perhaps in the mind (or mouth) of the beholder!  Each one of them is different, unique, an exploration and expression of that cheese with those particular elements led by that specific person at that time and place.  No two cheeses will ever be the same. And yet when all these different elements are led in unison towards excellence, the recipient – us - will have an excellent example in our possession to savour. And we can be grateful for all of the effort that "team leader" took to perfect excellence.

Raw Milk and Affinage...are they sacrosanct?

There are two issues that continuously present themselves in conversations about cheese, which never find resolution.  

Are raw milk cheeses better than pasturised milk ones?

Is affinage (aging) an added value beyond the cheese making?

And while the world's problems won't be solved by answering these two quetions, in the cheese world, they never seem to go away.  You find many different opinions and some fervent advocates on both sides of the fence, each one with their own viewpoint worth considering. This of course points to a point of departure for the discussion about what makes cheese - cheese and what makes up the profession(s) that surround it.

The central question about whether milk in its original form, i.e.; with all its inherent chemical makeup versus milk that has had all that 'good' stuff removed and then a controlled version added back in, makes for a better end product. 

I have my opinions but have had it challenged a few times, particularly with pasterised milk Époisses, which of course only proves to me that there is no finite answer. This was brought home when I read an interview with a well known fromager here in Paris - Martine Dubois, a fromagère in the 17th arrondissement who always has amazing cheeses.  She is an interesting person who advocates for better understanding and dialogue within her industry.  When asked her opinion about the debate about raw milk versus non, she said:

"The question isn't really there. Sorry to bring down a myth, but a raw milk camembert can be bad and a camembert from microfiltered milk can be excellent. Here we are speaking particularly about Camemberts, but all cheeses are affected yet not all make as much noise. It is a war that makes you forget the main objective: the taste of the product. Also, we cheesemongers need to be able to be supplied with a constant quality: raw milk cheeses are more difficult to maintain and the quantities do not always match the demand."

Another point of contention was whether affinage is a real profession and is it separate from being a cheesemonger? These have come under some heavy discussion of late by a lot of cheese people in the US.  As to this question of affinage, which technically meaning refinement or finishing or as the master Max McCalman defines it "the art of aging cheese",  Madame Dubois had another pretty pointed opinion which was echoed by Randolph Hodgson, the owner of Neal's Yard Dairy in the UK. 

The question to her was - What is a fromager-affineur which means one who not only sells cheese but ages cheese. Here in France, I would have said that a fromager is not the same as an affineur.  One sells cheese, but does not necessarily practice the art of affinage. They could be one in the same and those who do both would provide more advantages to the customer.  According to Mme Dubois however this misses the point. She said:

"Another myth ... refining (aging), is the maturation of cheese. Today, almost no fromager (cheesemonger) ages cheese in his cellars. I have three caves, each at different temperatures and humidity levels, which are used sometimes to delay or finish aging, but cheese is much better left in its original cellar to mature where it is at home with the right humidity, the right temperature, the right environment and the suitable expertise. Moreover, and to go even further...we (fromagère) are cheese merchants, we do not make cheese, that credit goes to the producer."

I think a bit of splitting hairs is going on here. According to Mr. McCalman in his article The Art of Affinage in Cheese Connoisseur this month, affinage is the second step in cheesemaking regardless of who practices it. 

"Great affineurs make memories and poor affinage destroys the promise of greatness."  

A cheese not only needs to be maintained properly, but it must have started with superior milk, cheesemaking techniques and hygiene. Affinage is the process of monitoring the development of a cheese and none of those steps without the other can make a superior product. In otherwords, affinage can not make a great cheese out of a poorly made one. But assuming all that is in place, proper affinage practiced by an artist in the trade will allow; coax; nuture what was set in motion during the cheesemaking process onto the road of achieving the cheese's full potential.

So in my opinion, regardless of whether the milk was raw or pasturised, if the milk was of high quality and the cheesemaker practices his craft with the upmost attention, a cheese has the potential of being taken to its highest level of expression by a cheesemonger, fromagère or affineur who practice at least in some part, the art of affinage.

Making Mozzarella

Photo by Charlotte Moore

The Daily Cure blog written by Charlotte Moore has a great photo article from 15 October about how to make mozzarella.  It is definately worth taking a look at!

Cheese, Fat and Sodium

An interesting article in the NYTimes, Ask to Get Slim, Cheese Resists, by Harry Fountain - The U.S. Cheese Industry Works to Reduce Sodium and Fat.  All about how America is trying to make cheese with less fat and less salt and still have something that approximates cheese. Not certain there is a point to this since cheese derived its character from the milk fat and salt acts as a preservative and flavour enhancer.