Sometimes it just doesn't want to. Even when you have the type of milk you always buy... but it's not necessarily your fault. There are several reasons why milk does not foam. The most common is perhaps not very nutritious for the cow.

Proteins

The proteins in milk, especially whey protein, are mainly what is necessary for milk to have a good "foaming capacity". The whey protein forms a thin film on the surface of the air bubbles in the foam and makes it all stick together.

If milk is heated to over 60°C, the proteins are denatured ("deprived" of their original properties), which makes it more suitable when it comes to stabilizing air bubbles in milk foam.

UHT milk foams better than pasteurized milk, because more proteins are denatured.

So a very important factor, because milk is not always the same milk. The difference in what cows eat obviously affects the protein content of the milk and will thus negatively affect foam formation.

Milk fat

In general, one can say that the lower the milk fat, the more foam will be formed. Skimmed milk normally produces the most foam.

The difference starts to become noticeable when the milk fat is increased above 5%. Breakdown of fat, or lipolysis, a chemical process that involves a breakdown of the fat, will negatively affect foam formation. Lipolysis usually occurs before the pasteurization of the milk and is caused by the enzyme lipase, which acts as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of lipids (fats).

With the lipolysis process, free fatty acids are produced which are surface active and which reduce the foaming capacity of the milk. Lipolysis can occur spontaneously in milk and is exacerbated by stirring.

This occurs when the cow's nutrient stores are at a low level and when it is late in lactation. It happens when the herds do not have access to nutritious fodder. It can also happen during a period of unfavorable weather and when cows have calved.

Lipolysis can also occur if air leaks in when the colostrum is pumped, or if colostrum is mixed with pasteurized/homogenized milk.

The milk temperature

Low temperature makes milk more susceptible to the intake of air, which is necessary for foam to form.

 

If you still struggle a little with the foam, you can always "cheat" a little with ours Claudia Munch Chantilly base, but if you are not making a cake, then dose carefully. With this product you can make a fat and sugar-reduced cream from skimmed milk, or oat milk, soya milk, whichever you prefer. 

If you like to sweeten your coffee drink, as many do when they mix in milk, we can recommend ours JustSweet, a natural low-calorie sweetener.