Homogenization breaks apart fat molecules in milk, spreading the smaller particles evenly throughout the liquid. Before homogenization, people were used to fresh milk with fat particles clustered together so the cream rose to the top. Consequently, only the cream tasted rich; the remainder was watery and thin. The advent of homogenization -- today a standard step in commercial milk processing -- improved the taste of milk without decreasing its nutrition value.
The Process
Homogenization entails forcing milk through a high-pressure valve system, which reduces the size of the fat particles from an average of 3 or 4 microns to 1 micron or smaller. The number of fat particles thus increases, and they disperse evenly throughout the milk. Creaming no longer occurs, giving the milk a consistent texture throughout.
Raw Milk Advocates
Some people claim that processing milk decreases its nutrition. They advocate drinking milk that has undergone no processing. Raw milk proponents object to homogenization and also pasteurization, a separate sterilization process, claiming these processes decrease milk’s health benefits. Raw milk's ostensible benefits include reducing allergies and asthma; promoting calcium deposits in bone to prevent osteoporosis; beneficial bacteria that promote gastrointestinal health; and strengthening the immune system.
Expert Insight
Drinking raw milk does not provide more nutrition, but instead is extremely dangerous, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In its document debunking the claims of raw milk advocates, the FDA explains how neither the pasteurization nor the homogenization process diminishes the nutritive value of milk. The pasteurization process kills dangerous pathogens without decreasing milk’s nutrients, and homogenization improves the digestibility of milk and could even enhance the beneficial effects of certain fat components, according to research cited by the FDA.
Effects
In short, homogenization does not decrease the nutrition of milk. Instead, its chief effect is better-tasting milk, and 1 or 2 percent milk tastes just as rich as unhomogenized whole milk. This may be thanks to the decreased thickness of the fluid and the increased number of fat particles, according to the book “Milk: Its Remarkable Contribution to Human Health and Well-Being.”
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