Guest guest Posted May 10, 2001 Report Share Posted May 10, 2001 How do you do this yourself?? I'd like to test my dad's milk and see what it comes out as. I have heard of Prof Albrect in reference to something else, but I am not sure. Do you know what other studies he maybe associated with? or a website where I could look it up? a Augustine "God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called." ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Lundin Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 2:25 PM Subject: Milk Quality Certainly no one on this list would expect allmilks to be the same. We wouldn't expect Jerseymilk and Holstein milk to be the samme, nor wouldwe expect the milk from cows that have been eatingsprouting grass to be the same as from soybeans.It shouldn't surprise any of us, either, that grassgrowing in fertile, mineral-rich soil would ultimatelyproduce milk of higher quality than from sterile,depleted soils. It should be apparent that the qualityof even raw milk could go from terrible to excellent,determined by many factors.So, I'd like to know if anyone on this list hasany ideas on how to judge milk quality. I understandthat milk quality is often graded by those in thedairy business by butterfat and perhaps proteinpercentage. But that doesn't address other nutrientslike vitamin D or trace elements.For those that aren't aware of the 'brix' measure, itis the percentage of solids dissolved in a solution.It was originally determined by hygrometers, butsomeone discovered about a century ago that refractometers(which measure the refractive index of a substance) canalso measure brix levels, only much more conveniently.I've read that Prof. Albrecht felt thatmilk ought to measure 21-25 brix, IIRC, but everythingI've heard of or been able to measure myself is lessthan 11 brix. This includes some incredible Jerseymilk so thick that a swish or two with a spoon throughit leaves a thick coat of butterfat deposited. Hasanyone on this list found (and better yet tasted) amilk with a higher brix than 11?It seems possible, given what I've found so far, thatgood quality, nutrient-dense milk may be very rare. :-(--alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 11, 2001 Report Share Posted May 11, 2001 * a Augustine (augustines@...) [010510 16:24]: * Subject: Re: Milk Quality: > How do you do this yourself?? I'd like to test my dad's milk and > see what it comes out as. For the brix measurements, I use a refractometer I bought to test fruits, vegetables, and greens, but it also works for milk. [sadly, almost everything I've measured -- peaches, apples, pears, cantaloupes, watermelons, carrots, tomatoes, etc. have turned out to be fairly low quality, even though they all appeared to be healthy and high quality. Again, I highly recommend anyone that is interested in finding truely nutrient-dense foods go to www.crossroads.ws and check out the brix pages.] > I have heard of Prof Albrect in reference to something else, but > I am not sure. Do you know what other studies he maybe associated > with? or a website where I could look it up? Prof. Albrecht was a Professor of soils at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture. He authored the 4 volume work: _The Albrecht Papers_, among others. He was concerned with healthy soils for producing healthy plants to be used by healthy people and animals. I don't know of any web site specifically dedicated to him, but many in agriculture reference him. --alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2001 Report Share Posted May 14, 2001 Alan, I don't have a refractometer yet, but I plan to get one, and will let you know the brix of the Claravale raw milk we have here. It would indeed be interesting to compare the measurements from cows on different feeds. > It seems possible, given what I've found so far, > that > good quality, nutrient-dense milk may be very rare. > :-( I'm sure it is very rare, since so much of our soil has not been treated with the respect it deserves. Aubin __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2001 Report Share Posted May 14, 2001 Alan, I did not know this, but my dad does have a refractometer and will test the milk for me. I will get back to you on the number when he gets it done!! a Augustine "God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called." ----- Original Message ----- From: Aubin Parrish Sent: Monday, May 14, 2001 1:00 PM Subject: Re: Milk Quality Alan, I don't have a refractometer yet, but I plan toget one, and will let you know the brix of theClaravale raw milk we have here. It would indeed beinteresting to compare the measurements from cows ondifferent feeds. > It seems possible, given what I've found so far,> that> good quality, nutrient-dense milk may be very rare.> :-(I'm sure it is very rare, since so much of our soilhas not been treated with the respect it deserves.Aubin__________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2001 Report Share Posted May 14, 2001 * Aubin Parrish (aubinparrish@...) [010514 12:02]: * Subject: Re: Milk Quality: > Alan, I don't have a refractometer yet, but I plan to > get one, and will let you know the brix of the > Claravale raw milk we have here. It would indeed be > interesting to compare the measurements from cows on > different feeds. Cool! I'll be eagerly awaiting your results! --alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2001 Report Share Posted May 14, 2001 * a Augustine (augustines@...) [010514 15:30]: * Subject: Re: Milk Quality: > Alan, > > I did not know this, but my dad does have a refractometer and will > test the milk for me. I will get back to you on the number when he > gets it done!! Great, thanks! Sounds like we'll need to create a database! --alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 > Re: milk QUALITY (was milk- is it really so good for us? >help) > > >Great information, thank you!! Welcome! :-) > >Now I have a question about the refractometer: where do I get one? >and which one would be best to get without spending hundreds of >dollars? There are many suppliers on the web. However, the one I got was recommended by the listowner of the Brixtalk list. I think I paid around $30. He thought it was a good one for the price. Here's the contact info for the supplier: Charlie Downs National Industrial Supply chardowner@... (310)748-6858 You can also post this question to the brixtalk list as they may have other suggestions. BrixTalk I'm also very excited to say that I will be interviewing Rex Harrell, the Brixtalk list owner for an article on brix that will appear in a future Wise Traditions (don't know which one yet). I plan to have a list of resources at that time where one can get a good refractometer. So I should have several more suggestions by that time. Also how are the farmers increasing the quality of the cows >forage? By increasing soil fertility. The guy in Brazil I mentioned corrected the acidity of his soil with Dolomite ( for PH ) Natural Phosphate and Rock Dust, and he added 3 new grasses and 5-6 legumes. He said usually the cows have a brix reading of about 12-13 without these improvements, but with the changes, they were producing 16 brix milk, and then 18. Another guy who's been working with milk brix for years just said high quality pasture is the key, but he didn't say exactly how he increases quality. He's in the US and said the highest brix he's been able to reach is 15, but he's working on a herd now that he thinks may get to 18. This is all new to me--I appreciate you educating me on this. > > I really don't know a heck of a lot about it myself - I'm still learning too! The Brixtalk list and the online brix book are excellent places to get more info: http://www.brixpage.com Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine http://www.westonaprice.org ---------------------------- “The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times.” -- Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher. The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics <http://www.thincs.org> ---------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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