People therefore converted milk to curd, cheese, and other products to reduce the levels of lactose. Initially, the ability to digest milk was limited to children as adults did not produce lactase, an enzyme necessary for digesting the lactose in milk. In many cultures, especially in the West, humans continue to consume milk beyond infancy, using the milk of other mammals (especially cattle, goats and sheep) as a food product. Food product for humans The Holstein Friesian cow is the dominant breed in industrialized dairy farms today A bowl of milk for the shaman rite Buryatia, Russia įresh goats' milk is sometimes substituted for breast milk, which introduces the risk of the child developing electrolyte imbalances, metabolic acidosis, megaloblastic anemia, and a host of allergic reactions. In some cultures it is common to breastfeed children for three to five years, and the period may be longer. įor humans, the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and breastfeeding in addition to other food for up to two years of age or more. The makeup of the colostrum and the period of secretion varies from species to species. Colostrum contains antibodies that provide protection to the newborn baby as well as nutrients and growth factors. The early milk from mammals is called colostrum. In almost all mammals, milk is fed to infants through breastfeeding, either directly or by expressing the milk to be stored and consumed later. There are two distinct categories of milk consumption: all infant mammals drink milk directly from their mothers’ bodies, and it is their primary source of nutrition and humans obtain milk from other mammals for consumption by humans of all ages, as one component of a varied diet.įurther information: Breastfeeding and Lactation Breastfeeding to provide a mother's milk A goat kid feeding on its mother's milk In food use, from 1961, the term milk has been defined under Codex Alimentarius standards as: "the normal mammary secretion of milking animals obtained from one or more milkings without either addition to it or extraction from it, intended for consumption as liquid milk or for further processing." The term dairy relates to animal milk and animal milk production. The term milk comes from "Old English meoluc (West Saxon), milc (Anglian), from Proto-Germanic * meluks "milk" (source also of Old Norse mjolk, Old Frisian melok, Old Saxon miluk, Dutch melk, Old High German miluh, German Milch, Gothic miluks)". More than six billion people worldwide consume milk and milk products, and between 750 and 900 million people live in dairy-farming households.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children over the age of 12 months should have two servings of dairy milk products a day. New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands are the largest exporters of milk products. Because there is an ever-increasing demand for dairy products in India, it could eventually become a net importer of dairy products. India is the world's largest producer of milk and the leading exporter of skimmed milk powder, but it exports few other milk products.
In 2011, dairy farms produced around 730 million tonnes (800 million short tons) of milk from 260 million dairy cows. Īs an agricultural product, dairy milk is collected from farm animals. Milk contains many nutrients, including protein and lactose. Early- lactation milk, which is called colostrum, contains antibodies that strengthen the immune system and thus reduce the risk of many diseases. Immune factors and immune-modulating components in milk contribute to milk immunity. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. For other uses of the word, see Milk (disambiguation).Ī glass of cow milk Cows in a rotary milking parlor For the milk-like beverages derived from plants, see Plant milk. This article is about the fluid produced by the mammary glands of mammals.
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