What is homogenization?

Most milk, we buy from stores, are homogenized and pasteurized. These two processes are entirely different and carried out with different purposes.

Pasteurization is heating a food item to a high enough temperature so that all bacteria are killed with disabling certain enzymes. In return, the taste and nutrition value of food might be affected. Milk is pasteurized by heating it to 145 degrees F for thirty minutes and an hour 163 degree F for 15 seconds.

Homogenization is a recently developed process. If a gallon of fresh milk is allowed to sit in the refrigerators, all cream will float on the surface, leaving skim milk and a layer of cream. Homogenization is a process of breaking up the fat globules in milk to such a small size that they do not separate out and float to the surface, remaining suspended in the milk evenly. In dairy farms, this process of carried out with the help of SPX homogenizer. 

How is homogenization done?

In the process of Homogenization, milk is forced out under extreme pressure through tiny holes. This procedure breaks up the large fat particles into smaller ones which causes fat to form small clusters. As a result of it, fat molecules do not regroup or form a layer of cream. In their denatured state, fat stay suspended throughout the milk. 

How homogenization came into the picture?

If we consider the date of homogenization invention, it is fairly old process. Homogenization was invented in 1899, around the same time as pasteurization, 1895. The first patent for a machine to homogenize milk was obtained by a Frenchman, named Auguste Gaulin. The patent included a three piston pump through which product was forced in hair like tubes under pressure. 

Is Homogenization is good for the human body?

Till now, there is no scientific evidence to suggest the negative effect of homogenization on health. It is regarded as safe. Some research even suggest that homogenization make milk fat more digestible to a human body. When fat size is considered, smaller ones are easier for the body to digest as the process change the size of fat globules and make them more uniform, making them remain dispersed throughout the milk.