Types of milk
According to China's national food safety standards, the common liquid milk on the market is divided into four categories: pasteurized milk, sterilized milk, modulated milk and fermented milk. Pasteurized milk: 100% raw milk with a protein content of ≥2.9%; sterilized milk: 100% raw milk with or without the addition of reconstituted milk, protein content ≥ 2.9%; modulated milk: raw milk or modified milk ≥ 80%, protein content ≥ 2.3%; flavored fermented milk in fermented milk: raw milk or milk powder ≥ 80%, protein content ≥ 2.3%.
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Which is more nutritious, fresh milk or pure milk?
A: On nutrition, fresh milk is slightly better. However, the nutritional loss of pure milk relative to fresh milk is not large. In terms of taste, fresh milk is better than pure milk because it better retains the original flavor before sterilization. Pure milk has a shelf life of up to 12 months, which is achieved through UHT and aseptic packaging, so pure milk is easy to preserve and more cost-effective.
Both fresh milk and pure milk are made from 100% raw milk, and the fundamental difference is the difference in sterilization methods: fresh milk is pasteurized, and pure milk is treated with ultra-high temperature sterilization (UHT). The main advantage of milk is the provision of protein and calcium, which is almost no loss after heat sterilization, and the loss of some vitamins is much smaller than we think. And milk is not a good source of vitamins relative to human demand, and its content is already very small.
Q2
Is skim, low-fat milk healthier than whole milk?
A: Milk can be divided into whole milk, skim milk and partial skim milk according to the fat content. Generally, the fat content of whole milk is 3.1% to 4%, the fat content of skim milk is ≤0.5%, and the fat content of low-fat milk is ≤ 1.5g/100mL. Low-fat milk has half the fat of whole milk. Compared with animal offal, butter and other foods, the fat content of whole milk is insignificant.
Most vitamins are fat-soluble, and while milk is defatted and fat-removed, fat-soluble vitamins are also removed. Most of the frankincense of milk comes from milk fat, so skimmed milk has a lighter aroma and taste than whole milk.
Healthy adults and teenage children do not need to choose skim products, just drink whole milk, delicious and nutritious.
Q3
Is restorative milk "fake milk"?
A: Reconstituted milk is milk made by reducing milk powder with a certain proportion of water as raw material. All sterilized milk produced with milk powder should be marked as "restored milk" or "restored milk" in the immediate vicinity of the product name; sterilized milk produced by adding part of the milk powder to raw cow milk should be marked in the immediate vicinity of the product name "containing ××% restored milk" or "××% restored milk".
According to the national standards for food safety, fermented milk, sterilized milk and prepared milk can use reconstituted milk as raw materials, but pasteurized milk cannot use reconstituted milk as raw materials. Milk is dried, sterilized, restored and other processes, and the loss of nutrients such as protein and calcium is not large. Therefore, reconstituted milk is a dairy product, not "without nutrients", let alone "fake milk".
Q4
Is the concoction milk "inferior milk"?
A: Modulated milk is a liquid product made of not less than 80% raw milk or restored milk as raw materials, adding other raw materials or food additives or nutritional enhancers, and using appropriate sterilization or sterilization processes.
Common concocted milks include chocolate milk, banana milk, breakfast milk, etc., which can provide diverse needs for different groups of people. Modulated milk can meet the needs of different groups of people by adding nutritional enhancers and minerals, such as modulated milk with vitamin D added to promote the absorption of calcium by the body. Modulated milk is the type of product that can be named "milk" according to the actual situation, and its nutritional value is seriously underestimated. Therefore, concocted milk is not "inferior milk".
Q5
Can milk-containing beverages replace milk?
A: Although milk-containing beverages contain milk or dairy products, the content is relatively small, so the content of protein and calcium is relatively low. Therefore, milk-containing beverages cannot replace milk, and drinks should not be drunk as milk.
Q6
Are fermented milk and flavored fermented milk the same thing?
A: In simple terms, "fermented milk = milk + fermentation", "flavored fermented milk = fermented milk + other substances", "yogurt = milk + fermentation of specific two edible bacteria", "flavored yogurt = yogurt + other substances". The addition of the word "flavor" means that other substances have been added, and the milk content of flavored fermented milk is lower than that of fermented milk, but the milk content is also more than 80%.
How to buy
Take a look at the name of the product. If you add the words "drink" or "drink", it must not be milk, just a drink. Notice the type of product, which is the true attribute of the product.
Two look at the ingredients. If the ingredients are not milk or restored milk, it must not be milk. According to the General Principles of Labeling of Prepackaged Food, ingredients should be arranged from more to less, and less than 2% may not be arranged in descending order. Try to choose products with no additives or few additives.
Three looks at the nutrition facts list. For the same type of product, try to choose products with high protein and calcium content and low carbohydrate and sodium content. For example, a milk-containing beverage has a protein content of 2.9 grams, but the data in its nutrition facts table is 280mL per serving, which is not high for every 100g.
Pit avoidance points
Blind purchase of children's milk is not recommended. China does not have children's milk, children's yogurt, children's milk drinks and other related children's food safety national standards, do not think that marked "children" is more suitable for children, some children's products even add a lot of sugar and food additives. For example, a children's drink itself is fortified with some vitamins and minerals, but it is high in sugar and adds more than 10 food additives, including thickeners, sweeteners, and acidity regulators.
It is not recommended to blindly pursue high-calcium milk. Ordinary fresh milk and pure milk calcium content in about 100mg / 100mL, calcium content has been high enough and the absorption rate is good, most of the high calcium milk is added is calcium carbonate, the absorption effect of this calcium in the human body is not ideal.
Other precautions
According to the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, imported prepackaged food should have Chinese labels. The mandatory labeling content of the Chinese label of imported prepackaged food is: food name, ingredient list, country of origin or origin name, net content, storage conditions, name of importer/distributor/agent, address, contact information, date identification, nutrition ingredient list, and should also meet the requirements of label identification in the corresponding national food safety standards. Consumers should not buy or consume milk without Chinese labels or with incomplete label information and unclear content. In addition, for milk imported through formal channels, the Customs will issue the "Inspection and Quarantine Certificate of Inbound Goods", and consumers can ask the distributor to show and view it.
Wen / Luo Xinxing Yang Yang Geng Zhe
(Dapeng Customs, which belongs to Shenzhen Customs.)
Shenzhen Customs Import and Export Food Safety Division)
The article is from China Customs magazine in October 2021
Editor: Chang Xiangjing
Reviewer: Kingdom Show
Producer: China Customs Media Center
Submission email: [email protected]
(Xiumi contribution account with the same email)