# Foamy Milk



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

An experienced goat keeper once said to me that "foamy milk is good" but I haven't been able to find anything that supports or contradicts that. So my questions for the speculators and experts.. 

What makes milk super foamy some days and not others?

What's the difference between the days when its big bubble foam and the days when its stiff latte foam with almost invisible bubbles?


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Whey proteins stabilize milk bubbles so that they retain their shape, and fats help a little too. More fat means a more stable foam when you exceed 5% BF. Goats don't have much lactoglobulin (that's part of why goats milk takes a few days to get even a little creamline, vs cow's milk, that and the size of the fats), but do have a good amount of lactalbumen. It's the daily variability, and lactation cycle, and length of daylight, and all sorts of environmental factors that affect the amount of whey proteins in the milk.

I think both foamy milk and nonfoamy milk is good. Foamy milk does give better ricotta-- even storebought milk that foams easily.


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## mrs.h (Feb 1, 2010)

linuxboy said:


> Whey proteins stabilize milk bubbles so that they retain their shape, and fats help a little too. More fat means a more stable foam when you exceed 5% BF. Goats don't have much lactoglobulin (that's part of why goats milk takes a few days to get even a little creamline, vs cow's milk, that and the size of the fats), but do have a good amount of lactalbumen. It's the daily variability, and lactation cycle, and length of daylight, and all sorts of environmental factors that affect the amount of whey proteins in the milk.
> 
> I think both foamy milk and nonfoamy milk is good. Foamy milk does give better ricotta-- even storebought milk that foams easily.


English please?!


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Yeah, sorry; I tried. That was the revised version :blush.

Milk has two categories of proteins. Ones that are casein, like the ones that make cheese, and ones that are in the whey, like the ones that make ricotta. It is the proteins in the whey that influence how well bubbles form. To some degree, the butterfat also plays a part. More butterfat means the bubbles form better.

You can control this through diet. A balanced diet with a 16-17% total protein from multiple sources (hay, alfalfa, grains) will give you the most balanced milk that should foam a moderate amount.


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

hmmmm... 

yday, lots of browse of 5 woody species (woody, although they mostly eat the leaves, some bark) ... SUPER stiff foamy milk this morning... all other food (hay/grain) the same, no new bags/bales opened lately. 

Day before yday, rare day here with very little browse, few dandelions, weeds, veggie peels only, milk NOT foamy the next morning... you're saying there's a relationship there? Protein content of most browse is unknown...


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

The temperature in your barn affects how much foam you have on your milk too.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Thank you Pav- great info- don't 'water' it down. Perfectly assimilable.
No blushing necessary. I appreciate learning from you. 

Lee


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