Amazing facts about milk

Milk is one of the most popular and important foods on the planet. It is used in many foods and beverages, from ice cream to coffee.

Milk is one of the top 10 endurance foods. Drinking a glass of milk every day is taken for granted. Let's look at milk from an unusual perspective. In front of you 10 surprising facts about milk... It is worth noting that milk is one of the 10 healthiest foods for a toned figure.

10. Cannibalism among cows

If you saw a cow eating another cow, would you drink her milk? Every self-respecting farmer believes that a cow must be healthy in order to give a lot of milk, but they do not want to spend money. For milk to flow like a river, energy is needed. Cows tend to die and bodies to decay. Plants recycle dead animals and turn bodies into fat. So when the cow starts chewing on her daily dose of grass, she is most likely eating her cousin.

But cow cannibalism is not so bad. If a cow is fed pure protein, she will develop rabies. And rendered fat is easier and faster to digest than, for example, sunflower. The cow, consuming fat, gives more milk. And if a farmer wants to replace animal fat with vegetable fat, he will need 3 million cornfields to make up the difference. So while the cows are eating the cows, we should just sit back and enjoy a good glass of cow's milk.

9. Cows enjoy listening to the radio

In 2001, scientists at the University of Leicester conducted a study to examine the effect of cows' mood on milk production. And it turned out that songs can increase milk yield. Scientists believe that by listening to music, cows relax and produce milk in large quantities. But the Canadian Department of Agriculture is skeptical about such research. Even if this is true, it is likely that the music simply drowns out the sounds of the milking machines.

8. Skimmed milk and cream

Previously, no one drank skim milk. It was considered a by-product and was discharged into rivers as waste. In the 1920s, more than 18,000 liters of such waste were dumped from dairies in Wisconsin. To stop emissions, dairies began to come up with new ways to use skim milk. In the 1940s, it was sold dry to allied countries. In the 1950s, advertisements were launched that the product could help people lose weight.

But the most interesting solution was the production of casein protein from skim milk. In the 1930s, scientists in Italy and America made casein from skim milk, turned it into fiber, and used it in all sorts of projects. Need new upholstery for your car seat? Want a faux fur hat? Casein will come to the rescue! People believed that protein would become fashionable, but in the late 40s, the demand for creamy clothes dropped. However, in the past few years, there has been talk of casein making a comeback thanks to German designer Anke Domaska.

Founder of the fashion label Mademoiselle Chi-Chi, Domasque promoted "dairy"clothing. In 2011, she invented a new fiber QMilch or QMilk. QMilch - much more environmentally friendly than casein. It is made from unsuitable milk and eliminates hazardous chemicals. Casein is obtained from milk powder, then crushed, heated and spun into fine yarn. This is how a new fiber appears. It can be washed, it will not sour. Fiber is an alternative to cotton and is suitable for people with allergies.

7. Newborn boys and girls drink different milk

Men and women belong to different biological species. We differ from each other in physiological and mental parameters. Thus, women live longer than men, and the latter rarely suffer from insomnia. There is an assumption that in infancy, boys and girls receive different milk. Scientists have conducted research on female monkeys and found that milk changes depending on the sex of the newborn monkey.

If a macaque feeds a boy, then the milk is high in fat content and an increased amount of protein. After all, young males are much more energetic and more active than females. If a girl was born to a monkey, then the milk contained a large amount of calcium, which is necessary for strong bones. Scientists have shown that women also feed babies with different milk. Researchers at Michigan State University conducted a study in which 72 women took part. Scientists have found that milk for boys is fatter.

But there are other studies as well. For example, among women from poor families, milk for boys is more fatty. And well-off mothers have milk full of energy. Thus, the social environment also influences the quality and properties of milk. Scientists have yet to prove these theories. But, perhaps, they will influence the change in the composition of infant formula, which is adapted for boys and girls.

6. The body of many people does not digest milk

Many people take milk for granted. But 60% of adults do not digest this product. The fact is that babies are not fed with breast milk. As a result, lactose is no longer produced. Which ultimately leads to her intolerance. Therefore, a sip of milk can lead to sad consequences. The remaining 40% of people come from Europe, Africa and India. They have genetic abnormalities associated with the production of lactose. They can drink milk and not think about the unpleasant consequences.

Scientists believe that this mutation occurred in 10,000 BC. e. on the territory of modern Turkey. No one knows how the milk gene came about or how it spread. There are several explanations. Perhaps the ancient Europeans lacked sunshine and the body adapted to receive vitamin D in other ways. There is a version that people drank a lot of milk in lean years. Or, that women got better from milk and could give birth to more children.

Scientists have speculated that milk contributed to the development of unique abilities in African people. However, only 25% of the African population can digest lactose. Perhaps this is due to the lack of drinking water. Farmers drank water from rivers and ponds, which contained many sick microbes. Scientists believe that drinking milk helped to quench thirst and increase the chances of avoiding fatal diseases.

5. Online sale of breast milk

The US government strictly controls fluids such as blood and semen. However, breast milk is considered food, which allows it to be sold and bought. Many women donate breast milk to special institutions, where it goes through a pasteurization process, and then is sold to hospitals for $ 130 per liter. However, more and more mothers are posting online advertisements for the sale of expressed milk. In California, spouses Glenn and Chelley Snow sell surplus breast milk to women who do not have it. Sections appear on the sites aimed at selling breast milk for children of different ages.

Such sites are popular all over Europe. If women sell a liter of breast milk from $ 1 to $ 2.50, then they can earn up to $ 20,000 per year. But some women help other mothers absolutely free. There are special organizations that provide free breast milk. The government is not very fond of such groups. In 2010, the US Department of Health stated that breast milk, other than breast milk, is dangerous for a baby.Scientists at Stanford University found that 3% of potential breast milk donors were carriers of syphilis, hepatitis B and HIV.

4. Unusual bird milk

Not only mammals, but also some birds feed babies with milk. For example, pigeons produce a thick, milk-like substance. Bird's milk is produced in the goiter and accumulates in the esophagus. The goiter acts as a storehouse, certain cells produce a thick liquid, which the chicks like so much. This milk is produced by both the female and the male pigeon. As soon as the chicks get hungry, the pigeon opens its beak and the little birds feast on nutritious milk. If the chick does not receive its daily fluid requirement, it will die.

Scientists have shown that chickens grow 38% faster when pigeon milk is included in their diet. This liquid is rich in antioxidants, proteins and fats. There is more protein in bird milk than in breast or cow's milk. Pigeons aren't the only birds to produce milk-like fluid.... Flamingos feed their chicks with a special substance that is formed in the digestive tract. And if the mother of little penguins lingered on fishing, then the emperor penguin can feed the chickens with bird milk.

3. Why is the dairy section located at the end of the store?

In many countries, milk is included in the daily diet of a person, so why is it located at the very end of the store? There are two reasons:

The first is related to a trick called “we collect the basket”. If you go to the end of the store for groceries, then you pass frozen convenience foods, mountains of junk food, various goodies that you simply cannot help but buy. You reach the coveted milk already with a full basket of various products.
The second reason is much simpler and is called "cold chain". Milk, so as not to spoil, must be kept in the cold. It is transported in machines with a certain temperature and unloaded into a cold storage room. Therefore, the department with dairy products is located near the warehouse. Thanks to this arrangement, milk does not lose its taste.

2. The mysterious milk of witches

Most people believe that only women can breastfeed their babies. But it can also appear in a man. It just takes a lot prolactin - a hormone that promotes milk production... It is present in the male body, but in small amounts that can be increased. A man can increase prolactin levels in several ways, but they are very unpleasant. Body chemistry needs to be changed. It comes from drug use, hunger, or a pituitary tumor. But there is also a more pleasant way - nipple massage, by stimulating which you can get a surge of prolactin. Scientists have observed male lactation in bats, goats and guinea pigs. There have been cases when a newborn baby had milk on the third day of life.

They called him "witches milk". The baby's breast swells and a milky-white liquid flows from the nipples. Scientists explained an incredible case. The mother's body produces a large amount of estrogen, which enlarges the breast. Estrogen enters the fetus through the blood. If the amount of hormones is increased, the above case can be observed. It's okay. The swelling goes away after 2 weeks. In the Middle Ages, people were afraid of witchcraft and explained such cases by the fact that witches use baby milk for devils and spirits, which took the form of various animals. If a child had milk, it meant that he was an ally witches Parents tricked the spirits by placing rag dolls the size of a child in the bed.

1. The man who wanted to milk a pig

The latest buzz in Abu Dhabi is the camel milk cocktail. In the Italian Campania in the making of cheese mozzarella di bufala use the water in which the buffaloes bathed. Kumis, fermented horse milk, is widespread in Central Asia. People drink milk from yaks, deer and elk. No one would have guessed to milk domestic pigs. Pigs are very difficult to milk and have 14 tiny nipples on their bodies. Pork milk curdles and turns into cheese with difficulty.

But Chef Edward Lee is not giving up on the product. He participated in projects "Iron Chef of America" and "Top Chef". While participating in the show, Lee described pork milk as viscous and sour. He tried for a long time to make cheese from pork milk. He managed to make ricotto. Lee milked the pigs while they slept. a shed with pigs, trying to win their trust. He planned to become their friend. And if he succeeds, then his restaurant has every chance of becoming one of the best.