There are two method to separate cream from milk, first is the normal method using a separator, in which you obtain fresh cream and buffalo skim milk. There are 2 ways to prepare good products:

1. You can use the buffalo skim milk to prepare a good yogurt by applying the same steps of yogurt.

2. You can add Lactococcus lactis (5%) to coagulate the milk, and collect the curd in a cloth or muslin and left it to drain the whey. The curd is pressed and cut to consume fresh.

3. Coagulate the milk (after pasteurization at 62C for 30 min) by rennet, ladle the curd into a wooden or steel mould and lined with cloth or muslin. After 3 hours of whey drainage, the curd is put under pressure overnight. The following day, the cheese is cut into pieces and can be consumed fresh or, after pickling in salted whey or brine solution.

The other method to separate cream (it recommended when the milk is produced under good hygienic) is found in some farms, in this method, fresh buffalo milk is put in a jar and kept 2 days in a dry and cold place, until the cream rises and form a surface layer, leaving the buffalo skim milk underneath, which is partially coagulated. This acidified milk is a good product; also you can collect this milk in a cloth or muslin and hung it for some hours to obtain a good lactic acid cheese.

Would the protein content be decreased once the cream is separated using the skim milk?

After cream separation, the protein content of skim milk will be increase. For example, if the composition of whole buffalo milk was 6% fat and 4% proteins, after separation of cream the composition of skim buffalo milk will be about 0.0% fat and the protein will be 4/100-fat% = 4/96 = 4.17%.

You can search in any sites about the composition of milks.

best regards,

Gaber El-Baradei

The buffalo breed in Trinidad is mixed there is no longer a pure breed. The breed type has an effect on milk composition I suspect. Would it not make sense to test the actual composition of the raw milk before defatting using a lactoscan? Then after defatting test the composition again.

Good, using lactoscan which you have , you can use it to determinations the composition of fresh milk and skim.

Best regards,

Gaber El-Baradei

Ok thanks for your advise

The information given by you is most welcomed thank you!

• Buffalo milk after cream separation can be easily concentrated and dried to make skimmed milk powder - a product with a very very high shelf life.