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How is milk ‘skimmed’? © Getty Images

How is milk ‘skimmed’?

Skimmed milk is whole milk with all the cream removed from it; but how is this process done?

Asked by: Lachezar Yanchev, Stockport

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Cream is less dense than water so it floats. In cow’s milk (but not sheep, goat or buffalo milk) proteins cause fat globules to cluster and amplify this process. Milk is centrifuged and the less-dense cream collected from the centre of the drum.

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