Nutrients found in fresh cow milk

Milk is an essential ingredient for the growth of the body. This is perhaps because of the plenty of nutrients in milk. These nutrients increase the benefits of drinking fresh milk. The key nutrients in milk have been listed in this article.

 

The number one nutrient in milk is lactose. It is the key carbohydrate of milk and is also known as milk sugar. The other sugars such as galactose, glucose and some other sugars are also present in fresh milk. The lactose is found in a true solution in the milk and is disaccharide that is further composed of two molecules of monosaccharaides; glucose, and galactose. Lactose is readily fermented using the lactic acid fermenting bacteria. The lactose content in the fresh cow milk is 4.9 percent.

Second nutrient in milk is protein. The protein from the milk is rich in all the essential amino acids. It contains 51% essential amino acids. Casein which is also known as the major protein is precipitated at pH 4.6 and is exclusive to milk. The caseins present in the milk can be further sub-divided into five main classes, αs1, αs2, β, gamma and k-caseins. In the fresh cow milk, casein is present with the calcium in as calcium caseinate or rather calcium hydrogen caseinate. Milk even has whey proteins.

Third most vital nutrient in milk is milk fat. The digestibility of the milk is multiple times higher than other oils and fats. This could be because of the presence of fat globules that are found in the aqueous phase and form an emulsion. Addition of the milk fats in the diet increases the energy density. Another important role of milk fat is that it prevents tooth decay by forming a tough coating over the enamel.

Fourth nutrient found in the fresh milk is phospholipids. The milk contains phosphorus in their molecules. This is present in addition to the fatty acids and glycerol. There is also a nitrogenous base. The key milk phospholipids are the Sphingomyelin, Cephalic and Lecithin. They are fat soluble yet imbibe large quantity of water as well. 

A number of vitamins are also present in the fresh cow milk. Some of the essential vitamins in the milk are vitamins A, D, E and K. Other than these there are also water-soluble vitamins such as B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), Biotin, Niacin (nicotinic acid), Pantothenic Acid, Para-amino benzoic acid, Inositol, Choline, Folic acid, B12, and Ascorbic acid.

Lastly the milk is rich in essential minerals. The minerals found in the fresh milk are majorly found in the form of chlorides, citrates and bicarbonates of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.