The low-down on permeate and milk

I know that this isn't directly related to yoga but through my asana practice I have found a greater awareness of my body and my desire to keep it in tiptop shape by feeding it the best food I can find and afford has recently made me aware of the milk additive permeate. I knew that cheaper milk had 'fillers' but I didn't pay much attention to it until I purchased some organic milk recently that had a big sticker on it stating 'permeate free'.  I got curious about this "permeate" stuff and what it has to do with my milk...that's when I went down the internet wormhole.

I started by searching wikipedia because I figured it was probably the most unbiased place to start (correct me if I'm wrong). Amazingly there isn't a milk permeate page yet and if I wasn't so lazy I might start one. Anyway, from there I googled milk permeate and started reading article after article after article. Some tried to justify it (I assume they were written by people in the supermarket or milk production industry) and some were totally against it (I assume written by the dairy farmers and health nuts).

that watery yellow/green stuff is permeate

For those who don't know, permeate is made when whole milk is filtered through a fine 'sieve' using a  technique called ultra-filtration.  This filtering separates the lactose (also called milk sugar), the vitamins and the minerals left over from the milk protein and fat during the cheese making process. You might recognize it in another form. You know when you open a container of yogurt and you see the watery stuff on top? It's often called whey, a protein rich form of permeate that we often find in protein powders. By the way, don't poor this out, it's natural and you're losing the important protein of your yogurt. However the permeate that they are adding to your milk is not protein rich and is often called by other names that might be more widely recognized. It can be labeled deproteinized whey, dairy product solids, modified whey or reduced protein whey. Just a little something to look for on labels...if it's included in the ingredients list. But if you're looking on the back of your milk carton all you're going to see is milk. This is what I find so alarming. Yes, permeate is a dairy byproduct but the milk straight from the cow does not contain and extra 12% of this watery substance and I think milk companies should be required to put on the label if they have added anything, even if it's vitamins or minerals, and especially if it's a cheaper watered down milk byproduct.

The process of making and using permeate

So here are the pros and cons that I have pulled out of the many articles I have found.


Pros: It's not bad for you because it is technically natural and derived from milk. It costs less than milk straight from the cow so when added it actually brings down the cost of milk and can make milk more affordable to everyone and if you're not lactose intolerant milk is a pretty wonderful source of important nutrients. It ensures that from carton to carton your milk is going to taste the same because it's a way of standardizing the quality and nutrient content of the milk since this can change depending on the breed of cow and what the cow is eating. It eliminates the need to dispose of permeate which is usually a waste byproduct and is factories are required to dispose of it properly and can not just dump it down the drain.


Cons: It makes milk contain less protein. Milk producers are not required to put the addition of permeate on the label and can be up to as much as 16% of your milk is added permeate. It dilutes the flavor so the milk is not as creamy. For cafes and coffee connoisseurs it does not froth as easily due to the lower protein content (yes, I know this is a first world problem). Aside from milk producers not having to put it on the label the biggest concern is that dairy farmers are losing business because it is about 60% cheaper to the milk producers to add permeate to their product than to use whole milk. I mentioned this in the pros section because it makes milk more affordable but it means that large chain supermarkets like Coles and Woolworth's can make their home brand milk very cheap at the cost of the diary farmers.


I will admit that I have not done years of research and my facts have come form reading articles found on the internet but I am happy to have a better understanding of what the 'permeate free' sticker on my milk really means. I won't turn my nose up at a latte from my local cafe but I think I will continue to purchase my organic permeate free milk because it honestly tastes better and makes a damn good cappuccino. If I happen to help local organic farmers then I'm happy to do that as well. If it sounds like I don't care about the permeate waste product and its disposal well I'm happy to report that it is often dehydrated and used in baking mixes and other baked goods so it's not entirely going to waste.


Now you know.