Calcium, essential amino acids and a variety of vitamins and minerals make milk a drink that, as the old commercial used to say, does your body good. The powdered versions retain many of liquid milk's nutritional benefits but require no refrigeration and provide significant cost savings. With its lower fat content, skim powdered milk adds another check in the pro column if you chose it over the whole milk version for baking, cooking or drinking. Understanding a few of the basics about powdered skim milk might have you reaching for it rather than that gallon jug on grocery day.
Skim Versus Nonfat Powdered Milk
For nutritional purposes, the U.S. Dairy Export Council notes that skim milk differs from nonfat dry milk only with regard to the amount of milk protein it contains, a minimum of 34 percent for skim compared to no standard minimum for nonfat dry milk. Both versions come from roller-drying or spray-drying pasteurized skim milk and contain 5 percent or less moisture with no more than 1.5 percent milk fat.
Nutritional Information
Skim milk powder contains at least nine amino acids that the U.S. Dairy Export Council notes are essential to an adult's diet. This includes lysine, a vital amino acid that cereal grains and other vegetarian sources of protein are often deficient in. It also contains several additional amino acids known to promote normal physical development during childhood.
Skim milk powder is also a source of lactose, a carbohydrate that helps stimulate the intestinal absorption of calcium. The U.S. Dairy Export Council reports that researchers believe lactose also plays an important role in infant brain development. Diabetics generally tolerate lactose better than glucose or fructose, because it has a slow absorption rate that keeps it from causing sharp spikes in blood glucose levels.
Powdered skim milk also contains vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins help with cell regeneration, promote skeletal health and help fight off infection by boosting your immune response. Many of the minerals found in powdered skim milk, such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc, are also valuable components of a nutritious diet.
Other Benefits
Powdered skim milk needs less space for storage or transportation than its liquid cousin requires, making it easier to export and distribute than liquid milk. It has a long shelf life of 18 months compared to the 18 days for liquid milk, and needs no refrigeration during shipping. Manufacturers also add powdered skim milk to breads and other processed foods to enhance their vitamin and mineral content.
Considerations
At home, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System recommends using powdered milk to save dollars on your grocery bill. You can mix it with water per package directions and drink it in place of liquid milk or mix with regular milk to make it go further -- and improve on the taste of powdered milk mixed with water. You can also use reconstituted powdered milk to replace the liquid milk in most recipes without affecting taste or texture.
Storage
Powdered milk should be stored in a cool, dry area with a relative humidity of less than 65%. If your cupboard space is limited, the freezer is a safe spot to keep your powdered skim milk. Keep the instructions for reconstituting the milk handy, and be sure to use bags designed for the freezer.
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