Raw Milk is Healthier Than Pasteurized Milk

Some people claim that raw milk is healthier than milk that has been pasteurized. They claim that the heating of pasteurization destroys some of the beneficial nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics that are found in raw milk. It is true that heat can change the chemical composition of milk, but there is very little evidence that this can have any health effects. And what little evidence raw milk advocates cite comes from small/flawed studies or is anecdotal.

On the other hand, there is absolutely no doubt that unpasteurized milk can be deadly. It can carry a multitude of nasty disease pathogens including E. coliSalmonellaListeria, and Brucella and those responsible for tuberculosis and typhoid. The dangers are particularly acute in vulnerable populations like children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

It is true that milk intended for human consumption without pasteurization is raised and treated more carefully that so-called commodity milk that is meant to be pasteurized. This reduces but does not remove the danger of diseases. In summary, raw milk offers no demonstrated health benefits but does pose some very serious risks.

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You must scald milk before using it in certain recipes

This myth has some basis in fact. Raw milk (milk that has not been pasteurized) contains enzymes that can interfere with the thickening action of milk and the rising of bread. The scalding destroys these enzymes. Today, almost all the milk that is sold has been pasteurized, a process of heating the milk to destroy bacteria. This has the same effect as scalding the milk, so by the time you buy the milk those nasty enzymes are already gone. Unless you milk your own cow, you can skip the scalding.

Scalding can however be beneficial if you are making yogurt or other cultured milk products. Even pasteurized milk contains some bacteria, and they can compete with the yogurt culture and affect the result. By heating milk to 180 degrees you eliminate most of these other organisms and give the desirable culture bacterial a clean slate to work with.