Raw milk or unpasteurized milk is milk that has not undergone pasteurization, a process of heating foods to kill pathogens for safe consumption and extension of shelf life. Proponents have said that raw, unpasteurised milk has better flavor, and also provides better nutrition, contributions to the building of a healthy immune system and protection from allergies. However, no clear nutritional or health benefit of unpasteurised milk has been found, and there is consensus in the medical community that dangerous milk-borne diseases may be contracted from it and from products such as cheese made with it. Substantial evidence of this increased risk for no clear benefit has led countries around the world to either prohibit or regulate the sale of raw milk and raw milk products. In countries where it is available for sale, its availability and regulations vary. In the European Union, individual member states can prohibit or restrict the sale of raw milk, but it is not banned throughout the EU; in some member states, the sale of raw milk through vending machines is permitted, though packaging typically instructs consumers to boil before consumption.
History of raw milk and pasteurization
Humans first regularly consumed the milk of other mammals following the domestication of animals during the Neolithic Revolution or the development of agriculture. This development occurred independently in several places around the world from as early as 9000–7000 BC in Mesopotamia to 3500–3000 BC in the Americas. The most important dairy animals—cattle, sheep and goats—were first domesticated in Mesopotamia, although domestic cattle have been independently derived from wild aurochs populations several times since. From there, dairy animals spread to Europe (beginning around 7000 BC but not reaching Britain and Scandinavia until after 4000 BC), and South Asia (7000–5500 BC). Pasteurization is widely used to prevent infected milk from entering the food supply. The pasteurization process was developed in 1864 by French scientist Louis Pasteur, who discovered that heating beer and wine was enough to kill most of the bacteria that caused spoilage, preventing these beverages from turning sour. The process achieves this by eliminating pathogenic microbes and lowering microbial numbers to improve shelf life. After sufficient scientific study led to the development of germ theory, pasteurization was introduced in the United States in the 1890s. This move successfully controlled the spread of highly contagious bacterial diseases, including E. coli, bovine tuberculosis, and brucellosis, all transmitted to humans through the drinking of infected raw milk. In the early days after the scientific discovery of bacteria, there was no product testing to determine whether a farmer's milk was safe or infected, so all milk was treated as potentially contagious. After the first tests were developed, some farmers took steps to prevent their infected animals from being killed and removed from food production, sometimes even falsifying test results to make their animals appear free of infection. Advances in the analysis of milk-borne diseases have enabled scientists to track the DNA of infectious bacteria in raw milk to the cows on the farms that supplied it. The recognition of many potentially deadly pathogens, such as E. coli 0157 H7, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella, and their possible presence in poorly produced milk products has led to the continuation of pasteurization. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health agencies of the United States strongly recommend that the public not consume raw milk or raw milk products. Young children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to infections originating in raw milk.
Uses Some cheeses are produced with raw milk, although local statutes vary regarding required health precautions. There have been many reports of infections caused by raw milk cheese. The first camembert was made from raw milk, and the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) variety "Camembert de Normandie" (approximately 10% of all camembert production) is required by law to be made only with unpasteurized milk. Raw milk cheeses have been described as having richer taste and aroma, and as being of high value for consumers. Many modern cheesemakers, however, use pasteurized milk for safety, regulations, or convenience. A thick mixture known as syllabub was created by milkmaids squirting milk directly from a cow into a container of cider, beer or other beverage. Raw yak milk can ferment overnight to become a yoghurt-like substance, which can then be churned into yak butter.
Health effects
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