Does Boiling Milk Affect Its Nutritional Value?

Although boiling milk can still retain some nutrients, most of the nutritional components will be destroyed by high temperatures. It is recommended to use the bain-marie method to heat milk. Milk can be heated, but it should not be boiled. Boiling milk can destroy some vitamins, and calcium in milk can form calcium phosphate precipitate, which affects the absorption of nutrients by the body.

There is also a certain knowledge about boiling milk. Many people will add sugar to milk and boil it together over a fire, which will cause the lysine and sugar in milk to react under high temperature, forming fructoselysine. This substance cannot be digested and absorbed by the body, but is harmful to human health. Therefore, sugar should be added to milk when it is not too hot, and then poured out.

Boiling milk over a low fire will cause the vitamins in milk to be destroyed by oxygen. Milk is rich in amino acids. At high temperatures, the amino acids in milk will react with sugar to form fructoselysine, which cannot be digested and absorbed by the body, but will affect human health. The colloidal protein particles in milk will dehydrate into a gel-like state at 60℃. The phosphates in milk will precipitate from acidic to neutral at this temperature.

The correct way to heat milk is to use the bain-marie method. If using a microwave oven to heat milk, be careful not to overheat it, as high temperatures will still destroy the nutrients in milk. Also, note that heating milk in a microwave oven may result in uneven temperatures, so shake it before drinking to avoid getting burned. In addition, people who prefer convenience often choose powdered milk, which has similar nutritional components to fresh milk. When preparing powdered milk, be sure to use water that is not hotter than 60℃.