SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. Researchers have just found a new and faster way to skim milk. Skimming milk is a process where the fat is separated from the whey. Cheese is also created by the means of skimming milk.

The study being done involves many different methods to try and skim milk. So far, the most successful method in separating fat from the whey in milk is by using ultrasonic waves or more commonly known as sound waves. By using sound waves, the fat in milk separates by size which leads to a more precise output.

Running sound waves through fluid substances is not something new. However, using sound waves to cause milk particles to cluster in order to create skimmed milk is definitely something nobody has ever tried before. The sound waves cause the fluid to expand and to contract, causing its particles to collect in vertical bands a half-wavelength apart.

The study is being led by Associate Professor Richard Manasseh and his team from the Swinburne University of Technology, together with CSIRO. The project is worth $1.2M supported by the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Projects scheme, a Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation grant and university and CSIRO funds.

Associate Professor Manasseh said that milk fat is so tiny that 50–100 particles could actually fit on the width of a single human hair all at once. These milk particles are formed like biological cells in that they have a membrane that holds some of the nutritional and textural value of whole milk. Milk particles have small and large fat globules which also contribute to its different properties such as smoothness or creaminess. If these can be separated, it could result to better tasting dairy products with exceptional texture.

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