Filtered Milk

Should You Try Filtered Milk?

Milk is one of the healthiest of the dairy products. If you want to be healthy and fit, it's a good idea to have a glass or two of milk to your daily diet. Milk will keep your bones strong, fuel your muscles, and keep your body working well. Milk is a rich source of protein. Most of the protein in milk are categorized as casein, which can increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Another 20% of protein content in the milk is whey protein. Whey protein is good for athlete and bodybuilders in building the muscle.  However, the high content of fat and sugar are the main concern for most of the consumers. The high saturated fat in milk increases the calorie content which is bad for people on diet. The natural carbs in milk, lactose is not suitable for lactose-intolerant people. The increase of blood sugar levels is also one of the concerns for healthy diet lifestyle people. But there's a new kid on the block: filtered milk. It may be just the thing you need to kick your fitness up a notch!

What the Heck is Filtered Milk?

Look at this video and have a rough general idea on what is filtered milk!

fairlife Cold Filtration: The Secret to Nutrient-Rich Ultra-Filtered Milk

Source: YouTube Channel 

Do you get it now?

Filtered milk also known as “ultra-filtered milk”, a new drink that has become ultra-popular in recent years. Filtered milk goes through an extra, fine filter during processing. The filtration process was inspired by the same process that removes impurities from water. This technology allows the retention of high molecular weight, suspended solids such as milk proteins and removal of water and low molecular weight components such as lactose and soluble minerals from the milk using the semipermeable membrane with varying pore sizes. The filters concentrate for the good you want and less of what you don’t.

Using filtration technology, it is therefore possible to produce designer milk, milk products and dairy ingredients containing high protein and lower lactose content. The components in the milk such as water, lactose, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals slightly have different molecular size. Apparently, the filtered milk can be produced by separating these components according to its molecular size. The filters range from large to small, separating the carbs from the protein, the water from the milk, the fat from the sugar, and so on. The driving force for the separation is a hydrostatic pressure difference over the membrane. The filters essentially break down milk into its individual components, separating them completely.

The illustration of the filtering process using membrane technology.

Once the milk is totally filtered, the individual nutrients are recombined using a special formula designed by the filtering company to create the unique-filtered milk. This "new milk" has much higher amounts of calcium and protein, but the manufacturers add far less sugar and fat into the mix. The lactose is eliminated altogether, making it an ideal drink for the lactose intolerant.

The processing line of the filtered milk.

Basically, the filtered milk undergoes the same process as pasteurized milk. However, the filtering process take place right after the receiving of the milk. This is because the components of milk might undergo some chemical changes under heat treatment during pasteurization or cooling. For instance, milk fat under cold condition will aggregate and causes the milk flow through the filtering unit to be reduced to an unacceptable level. Then the milk is cooled, packed and marketed to the consumers. The shelf life of the filtered milk is longer than the normal pasteurized milk because the milk has passed through a fine filter to sift out souring bacteria. The unopened filtered milk can be kept up to 30-90 days when stored at temperatures of up to 7 ºC.

The nutrition comparison between regular milk and filtered milk.

The average bottle of 2% filtered milk contains about 50% more protein, 50% less sugar, and 30% more calcium than regular 2% milk. This means that you are getting more of the nutrients that make milk awesome while getting less of the things that makes milk less than the optimal food. The filtered milk tastes creamy than regular milk. Besides, the filtered milk has better nutrition than ordinary milk with 60% of sugar and 13 g of protein. Regular milk has only 8 g of proteins per glass. Filtered milk has more natural protein and calcium that comes directly from the milk. Protein act as an excellent source of energy and calcium helps to keep bone strong. And with less sugar and no lactose, it’s a fresh source of simple nutrition you can feel good about. The lactose has been removed, so it's perfectly safe for those with lactose intolerances or sensitivities to drink. The taste won’t have a big difference compared to other lactose-free milk. Filtered milk is most probably the best new post-workout drink for guys looking to get lean since it has less sugar than traditional chocolate milk.

During milking, several changes might occur in terms of physical, biochemical and chemical. For instance, active enzymes found in the milk such as lipase, proteinases and phosphatases will cause lipolysis, proteolysis and hydrolysis of phosphoric acid esters. Hence, heat treatment followed by cooling system is required to inactivate the enzymes and microorganisms which will spoil the milk. Since lactose is being removed in filtered milk, the mutarotation of lactose will not happen. Autoxidation of milk fat in milk products usually starts with the phospholipids of the fat globule membrane. Good packaging material or container should be used to prevent the increase rate of autoxidation of fat in milk.

Ultra-filtered milk has become more widely available this year with the release of a new brand, fairlife, which is under the Coca-Cola umbrella and uses a grammatically-frustrating all lower-caps brand name. The filtered milk is being incredibly delicious and satisfying due to its rich nutrition content. 

The ultra-filtered milk "fairlife".

Source: Google Image

Filtered milk is the cow's milk with 50% more protein and lactose-free compared to other milk. It is better for athletes and fitness enthusiasts to build lean muscle and support healthy recovery. Although filtered milk is not available in Malaysia for the time being, it is believed that this new technology will be introduced in the near future.  

Are you interested to drink filtered milk now?