26/11/2010 Density of Milk

Density of Milk
The Physics Factbook™
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Weight Density and Specific Gravity of Various "Milk has a weight density of 64.2 to 1028–
Liquids. 1998 Pump.Net. May 29, 2002. 64.6. [Lbs. per Cu. Ft.]" 1035 kg/m 3

Specific Gravity of Various Materials Compiled By

the Engineering Group. Delta Controls NAME LBS/FT3 DENSITY SPG
1035 kg/m 3
Corporation Engineered Sensors for Difficult Milk 64.4 1.035
Services. May 29, 2002.

"With all of this in mind, the density of

Dairy Chemistry and Physics. Douglas Goff. milk varies within the range of 1027 to 1027–
University of Guelph. 1033 kg m(-3) at 20° C. [see table 1033 kg/m 3
below]"

I also determined the density of milk myself. [see calculation at bottom of page] 1037 kg/m 3

The following table gives the density of various fluid dairy products
as a function of fat and solids-not-fat (SNF) composition:

Composition Density (kg/L) at:

Product Fat (%) SNF (%) 4.4 °C 10.0 °C 20.0 °C 38.9 °C

Producer milk 04.00 08.95 1.035 1.033 1.030 1.023

Homogenized milk 03.60 08.60 1.033 1.032 1.029 1.022

Skim milk, pkg 00.02 08.90 1.036 1.035 1.033 1.026

Fortified skim 00.02 10.15 1.041 1.040 1.038 1.031

Half and half 12.25 07.75 1.027 1.025 1.020 1,010

Half and half, fort. 11.30 08.90 1.031 1.030 1.024 1.014

Light cream 20.00 07.20 1.021 1.018 1.012 1.000

Heavy cream 36.60 05.55 1.008 1.005 0.994 0.978

Milk is a very nutritious and versatile food. People enjoy drinking milk in its natural form and also use it to
make a wide range of food products, including cream, butter, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. We drink the milk
produced from a variety of domesticated mammals, including cows, goats, sheep, camels, reindeer,
buffaloes, and llama. The major source for commercial production and consumption is from cows.

Most milk is composed of 80 to 90 percent water. The remaining 10 percent consists of the major nutrients

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needed by the body for good health, including fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Cow milk
contains approximately 87% of water, 3 to 4% protein, 4 to 4.5% fat, and approximately 4.5% milk sugar
(lactose). It typically contains about 3.5 to 5 percent fat, which is dispersed throughout the milk in globules. Fat
supplies taste and texture, and vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as certain fatty acids that the body is unable to
produce. Lactose is a kind of sugar found only in milk and gives milk its sweet taste. It makes up about 5
percent of milk's content.

If the fat content is lowered to 3.25 percent, the milk is sold as whole milk. Low-fat milk typically has 1 percent
or 2 percent fat. Since fat has a lower specific gravity and therefore is "lighter" than the milk serum, fat
globules rise to the milk surface. Then, fat can be collected or skimmed from the milk. The fat thus collected is
called "cream" and the milk deprived of fat is called "skimmed milk"or "skim milk". As the lighter milk fat rises
to the surface, the density changes. As you go towards the surface it creates layers of decreasing density.
When milk is left to stand long enough, some separation will occur because of density differences.

Cream or milk fat is lighter in density than water and floats on the surface of un-homogenized milk. When you
skim off the surface, some of the fat, the denser portions remains and the milk is denser. This explains why
skim milk is denser.

I also determined the density of milk myself.

Full weight: 256.6 g Empty weight: 0.420 oz. (11.9 g)

256.6 g (the mass of milk with carton) - 11.9 g (the mass of the carton) = 244.7 g (mass of milk). This
is equal to 0.2447 kg.
The volume of milk is ½ pint equal to 236 ml or 0.000236 m 3.
Density = Mass/Volume. Therefore density = 0.2447 kg/ 0.000236 m 3 = 1036.86 kg/m 3.

Alicia Noelle Jones -- 2002

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