Lactalis Group : milk, noble matter


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Milk, raw material

A complete feedingstuff

Milk, noble matter

Words of milk,
the glossary

Milk : the heart and soul of numerous dairy products

Milk transmits its nutritional qualities to other dairy products. However, cheese, yoghurt, fermented milk, butter and cream also possess their own specific qualities.

Cheese

Cheese is number one in calcium content. Cheeses with pressed cooked rinds such as Emmental, Comté, Beaufort etc. contain more than 1g of calcium for 100g of the product : a record-breaking amount !
Cheese is equally rich in B-group vitamins. This is particularly the case in 'blue' cheeses and those from the Camembert family, because these vitamins are produced during the fermentation process.

Fresh cheese

Fromage frais is an excellent source of protein, containing between 7 and 8.5g per 100g. It is also rich in calcium, with between 70 and 140 mg per 100g, or 10%.Its glucid content varies between 3 and 18%, depending on the amount of lactose or saccharose present when the cheese is sweetened or matured. It also depends on the quantity of fructose present when the fromage frais is combined with pieces of fruit, a fruit coulis or fruit pulp.

	Soft rind cheeses such as Camembert. The cheese is poured into moulds after the curdling process and draining takes place naturally.
	Fresh cheeses such as Mozzarella. The curd is heated as it passes through a mould, which gives it a distinctive texture.These cheeses belong to the 'pasta filata' family, due to the 'stringing' of the curd.
	Hard and semi-hard cheeses such as Emmental or Saint Paulin, during the production of which the curd is pressed to expel the moisture. In Emmental's case it is heated prior to drainage. These cheeses are generally formed in large-size moulds : Emmental weighs between 80 and 100 kg. This is the most commonly produced type of cheese in the world, accounting for 40% of global cheese production.
	Blue-veined cheeses like Roquefort. The fermentation of penicillium roqueforti produces mould within the cheese, which gives it its distinctive blue or black-veined aspect.

Yoghurt and fermented milk

Yoghurts and fermented milks contain lactic ferments that have "predigested" the milk.The result is a product that is very easily digestible and beneficial for bowel flora.

	Set yoghurt
	Stirred yoghurt
	Drinking yoghurt

Butter

Butter has been around for more than 3000 years, but for a long time it remained uncommon and was locally produced using traditional methods. In 1859 CJ FUCHS' centrifugation process made it possible to separate the fat from the milk. 1864 saw the appearance of the cream separator, a device that contributed to the rise in butter production, the development of the dairy industry and large-scale production.

Butter is made from the cream that is obtained when milk is skimmed.

Ten litres of milk are required to produce a litre of cream.This is pumped into ageing tanks and then the starters are added.

Butter crystals form during the maturing process. The cream is violently agitated in a process known as churning, thatcauses the fat to coagulate into butter grains. The liquid expelled during the churning process is known as buttermilk.

Butter is a concentration of the fat in milk, and contains vitamins A and D. In fact, it contains the most vitamin A of any food apart from liver. A 25g portion of butter provides 25% of an adult's daily vitamin A requirement. Vitamin A has numerous benefits forgrowth, sight, skin vitality, resistance to infections etc.

Traditional pasteurised butter with 82% fat

Raw butter made from raw cream

Spreadable butter (soft butter)

Butter with reduced fat content

- Low-fat butter (60-62% fat)

- Light butter (39-41%)

Cream

Cream also contains vitamins A and D, but with a fat content of between 12 and 30%, it is the least fattening natural dairy product.
Light cream contains between 12 and 20% fat.

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