All that glitters yellow may not be A2 Milk!

Being in the business of milk, there are some very common questions that we are asked every day. There are some myths that we love to bust, and there are some facts that we love to spread. 

One such myth is that the color of pure and fresh A2 Milk should always be yellow. That’s not true. In fact, the color of milk depends on various factors like the breed of the cow and its feed among others. The color varies from white to ivory, very light yellow to pale yellow. 

Let us dive a little deeper to understand the science behind the concept. Indigenous cows, unlike foreign breeds, possess a hump. This hump has a Surya Ketu Naadi. This Naadi, meaning vein, absorbs all the energies and radiation from the sun, the moon, and all the luminaries from the universe and puts them back in the cow products. This process makes all the Panchgavya outputs, viz. Cow Milk, Curd, Ghee, Dung, and Urine radically distinctive and extremely useful. Needless to say, to extract the maximum benefits, changes need to be implemented in the feed and fodder according to the season, which best suit the digestive system of the cows. 

Usually, cows that eat fresh, green pasturage, hay, or silage, produce milk that is yellowish due to beta carotene present in it, which ultimately dissolves in the fat of the milk. However, there is no thumb rule that such cows’ milk is always yellow, as the feed and fodder change according to the season, and the cows respond differently as per their digestive systems. 

On the other hand, whitish or ivory color milk, if allowed to stand overnight, will form a Malai layer on the top, which is always yellowish. The Ghee made from this Malai also turns out to be golden yellow and is aromatic.

It is also important to understand that the color of the raw, unprocessed milk is usually on the yellow side. Milk gets whiter when processed. 

Processing the milk mainly involves two steps: Skimming and Homogenising. Milk is skimmed when it is high in fat. Since fat contributes to a yellow tinge, removing the fat may leave the milk pale or white. Once the milk is skimmed, it is homogenized. This process pressurizes the milk and lets it pass through a very fine screen, forcing any large fat particles to break apart into smaller, more evenly sized particles. This prevents the milk from separating and forming a yellow layer on the top, making it evenly white throughout.

One general awareness which is widely needed is that anything that is natural, pure, and unprocessed is prone to have variations based on its behavior according to external conditions. It is a general human tendency to use any product that remains 100% consistent around the year. However, maintaining consistency all the time can be obtained only at the cost of high processing. Processing the milk may kill a lot of micro and macronutrients, ultimately giving us white-colored water!

After all, Mother Cow is a very intelligent animal; aligned with nature to give us a product that suits our health in the best possible way. Be it white, ivory, very light yellow, or pale yellow, we should practice consuming unprocessed milk to reap the maximum benefits it offers!