Whole milk is least adulterated and is very much similar to the way it comes from cow or other dairy farm animals. It is intact and the components like fat and water are not removed. It contains 3.4% fat and 87% water in addition to proteins and enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and carbohydrates.
The flavor of fresh milk is balanced and mild. The lactose in the milk makes it sweet and the minerals make it slightly salty and very slightly acidic. Its mild and pleasant aroma is due short-chain fatty acids that keep the highly saturated milk fat fluid at room temperature, and the short-chain fatty acids reach our nose when evaporated.
The basic flavor of milk is affected by the animals’ feed and microbial activity in the cow’s rumen (first part of stomach). Pasteurization also slightly modifies the fresh flavor of milk. Flavor of milk deteriorates due to oxidation by contact with oxygen or exposure to strong light.
Milk is a rich source of many essential body-building nutrients, particularly proteins, sugars, and fat, vitamin A and B vitamins, and calcium. It is always safe to buy milk with USDA Organic seal to make sure that the dairy farm animal is not treated with drugs including growth hormones. The animals are allowed to gaze and fed organic fodder.