Milk definitions

Grade A Milk: Milk from dairies meeting the state’s structural and sanitation requirements to supply the fluid market; 98% of California milk is Grade A.

Grade B Milk: Milk from more antiquated dairies that may be used only for dried milk powders or manufacturing purposes.

Raw Milk: Milk that has been filtered and immediately refrigerated but otherwise left untreated.

Certified Raw Milk: Raw milk certified as part of quality assurance by any of a network of medical milk commissions made up of physicians and veterinarians.

Standardized Milk: Milk that has been separated by centrifuge into fats, solids and liquids then reconstituted as whole, 2%, 1% and nonfat milks.

Pasteurized Milk: Milk that has been flash-heated to a minimum of 161 degrees for 15 seconds.

Homogenized Milk: Milk whose fats have been emulsified under high pressure so the cream does not rise to the top.

Fortified Milk: Milk whose removed fat has been replaced by protein-rich solids. Fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D are also reintroduced.

Whole Milk: Milk fat and solids content most closely approximate cow’s milk with 3.5% milk fat, 8.7% protein-rich solids and 310 milligrams of calcium per cup.

2% Milk: Milk fat reduced to 2%, solids raised to 10% and 350 milligrams of calcium per cup.

1% Milk: Milk fat reduced to 1%, solids raised to 11% and 320 milligrams of calcium per cup.

Nonfat Milk: Milk fat reduced to 0.25%, solids raised to 9% and 320 milligrams of calcium per cup.

Organic Milk: Undergoes conventional processing but is produced under rules of various organic certifying bodies. These rules commonly ban the use of hormones and restrict the use of antibiotics on cows. They also require cattle feed to be produced without use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

BST-Free Milk: This signifies that cattle are not treated with the genetically engineered milk-boosting hormone bovine somatotropin.