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Skimmed milk

language culture Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Skimmed milk is a type of milk with very little fat.

Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
Skim milk poured into cereal bowl

People often call it skim milk in the United States. It is made by taking fat out of whole milk. Most skimmed milk has only 0.1% to 0.3% fat. This makes it different from whole milk. Whole milk has much more fat in it. People use different kinds of milk for different needs.

Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
Skim milk poured into cereal bowl

Making this milk involves a special machine. This machine is called a centrifuge. The milk goes inside and spins very fast. This spinning action makes the fat droplets separate. The fat moves away from the rest of the milk. Then the milkworkers can remove that fat. This way, they create milk that is very low in fat.

Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
Skim milk poured into cereal bowl

In the past, people used skimmed milk for other jobs. They used it to help fatten up pigs. It was a very good supplement for growing pigs. The milk gave them a complete protein. It also made the pig feed taste better. This helped the pigs grow well.

Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
Skim milk poured into cereal bowl

Different countries use colors to label milk. In the United Kingdom, John Morris suggested a color system in 1998. He used colors from Marks & Spencer cream packaging. Blue bottles are for whole milk with 3% to 4% fat. Green bottles are for semi-skimmed milk with 1.8% fat. Red bottles are for skimmed milk with 0.1% fat. Some stores also sell 1% fat milk in purple or orange.

Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
Skim milk poured into cereal bowl

In the United States, labels focus on fat amounts. Whole milk there usually has 3.5% fat. They also sell 2% reduced-fat milk and 1% lowfat milk. Non-fat milk is the same as skim milk. Producers use colored caps to help people choose. Red caps often mean whole milk. Blue caps often mean 2% milk. Other colors like pink or green can change by region.

Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
Skim milk poured into cereal bowl
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