Straight from the cow's udder...

[Russ]

Guys I'm not getting in to how this subject came up (as I'd have to do a LOT of explaining....) in the pub this afternoon but is it safe to drink milk which has just been squeezed from a cow?

[Minbu]

I believe it's not recommended.

[Paul K]

How well do you know the cow? ;) On the serious side it's not as though pasteurisation etc has been around since the invention of the cow is it?

[Acathla]

surely its not sterile?

EDIT: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3089282&page=1

[Paul K]

surely its not sterile?

EDIT: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3089282&page=1

I'm sure Russ would give em a wipe before hand ;)

[ikthius]

does pasturisation not just make the milk last longer?

it is safe for lots of people around the third world countries, but maybe our guts are not used to it, maybe it wont do anything to us. as far as I know it is safe, our ancestors drank it that way

ik

[Russ]

Cheers guys, keep it coming.

[Delta Whiskey]

They used to sell green top milk which was unpasturised, but I think it was withdrawn for safety reasons (salmonella). I think milk straight from the cow contains certain elements that would cause 'unfortunate' side effects until you became used to it.

[greencreeper]

I think it would depend on your immune system. I do recall something from childhood where it was suggested that you needed to build up some sort of tolerance to fresh milk :scratch:

[Halcyon]

Pasteurization (or pasteurisation) is the process of heating liquids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquids) for the purpose of destroying viruses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viruses) and harmful organisms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogen) such as bacteria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterium), protozoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protozoa), molds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold), and yeasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast). The process was named after its inventor, french scientist Louis Pasteur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization


You will probably be fine, but boiling it would have helped... in order to kill any harmful bacteria.

[Mr_love_monkey]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization


..but boiling it would have helped...

What? The Cow?

[r1ch]

According to this (http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html) drinking unpasteurized milk is like 'playing Russian roulette with your health'.... not sure that it's quite that bad though - I know plenty of farmers kids who grew up drinking it.

[Tezcatlipoca]

This talk of cow milking has reminded me of that scene in Kingpin, lol....

[multiskilled]

Pasteurisation kills off the nasties. I believe some people do drink milk straight from the cow but it as illegal for dairy farmers to sell it to Joe public(see carry on camping).

[Shaun]

When did the law change? I drank green top milk up until I was 10!

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

How well do you know the cow? ;) On the serious side it's not as though pasteurisation etc has been around since the invention of the cow is it?

A lot of cheese is made from unpasteurised milk

[danielf]

A lot of cheese is made from unpasteurised milk

Not 'a lot', but some is, and if you're lucky you can buy it at your local Sainsbury's/Tesco's. It will be labeled as made from unpasteurized milk as it can pose a health risk to some people (Elderly, pregnant women etc.)

[Maggy]

There is a risk of lysteria in unpasteurised or green milk.Most healthy people can survive this but it is bad for the elderly and very young.It has been known to be a cause in stillborn deliveries.

It's a case of you make your choice and live with the consequences.Some folk believe green milk is far tastier than pasteurised.I've only drunk unpasteurised goats milk myself when I was young in Nigeria.Very nice it was too.:)

[multiskilled]

When did the law change? I drank green top milk up until I was 10!

I might be wrong but i seem to remember Terry Scott trying to buy some unpasteurised milk from a farmer in "carry on camping" and he said he couldn't as it was illegal.

[Xaccers]

If you do it in NZ, you can get skimmed milk at the same time :D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6700129.stm

[Maggy]

If you do it in NZ, you can get skimmed milk at the same time :D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6700129.stm

Another reason for the dairy to charge extra for skimmed milk. :rolleyes:

[Shaun]

I might be wrong but i seem to remember Terry Scott trying to buy some unpasteurised milk from a farmer in "carry on camping" and he said he couldn't as it was illegal.

Something's a miss then as we used to have it when we lived in Broughton but the farmer gave up as he couldn't supply it as cheaply as the supermarkets.

It was yummy.

As for unpasteurised cheese, Salisbury's do a really nice Canadian Cheddar made from unpasteurised milk. :yummy:

[Anonymouse]

My mum once told me that in Belmont village when she was young, they used to get milk so fresh from the cow it was still warm - and there was none of the nonsense we have today. People didn't have fridges and the like, food wasn't stuffed with preservatives - yet food poisoning was virtually unknown. Compare that with today.

And for the record, Grandma died aged 82 of nothing more than simple old age, my mum last year at 72. Great-Grandma, incidentally, was 92 when she died. Doubtless she and Grandma used to get their milk the same way. :)

OTOH, whether it's safe now might be an issue.:(

[homealone]

if the milk is from a cow free from disease (such as TB & Brucellosis), and it is drunk straight from the cow, or chilled rapidly to <5°C after milking, then a normal healthy person should have no problems with unpasteurised milk.

The danger comes where the milk isn't cooled quickly enough, or is stored too warm, when any pathogenic bacteria present will be able to multiply & may reach levels which could be harmful due to infection with the bacteria themselves, or the toxins some make when then multiply.

Pasteurisation reduces the numbers of bacteria present, especially the pathogenic ones, but the milk still needs to be handled and stored correctly - although 'luckily' pasteurised milk will usually go sour before it becomes dangerous to drink. It does alter the flavour, though. Personally I can take pasteurised milk, but UHT or, especially, sterilised I don't like due to the caramel like flavour from the heat process.

[Dorsetlad]

Well, never thought I'd see an age where people would even question if milk straight from a cow was safe!
When we were taken camping with our respective parents in the 1940's, local farmers sometimes allowed us to help milk the cows, and drink the milk.
Delicious, and you could taste the flavours of the wild-flowers and herbs.
I remember a farmer in W. Wales saying to my parents "I've saved you a pint of 'buttercup' milk".

Anonymouse said - People didn't have fridges and the like, food wasn't stuffed with preservatives - yet food poisoning was virtually unknown, compared to today.
Just about hit the nail on the head, and nice to know your relations lived to a fair old age.
My wife's Dad cycled to the local shops until he was 90, and my mother took to a walking stick also at about that age. Our parents grew a lot of their own salad/veg/soft-fruit in the early days though, what a difference that probably made.

B & R