G'day, I'm Bouncer and I'm here to tell you about Australian dairy products.
They're fresh tasting, natural products like cheese, yoghurt, cream, ice cream, butter
and of course milk.
Now all our dairy foods are made from the milk of dairy cows.
Makes sense doesn't it?
And they're fed on the green grass of Australia's coastal areas.
With its wide open spaces and clean, healthy air, Australia is the ideal place for dairy
farming.
Because our climate is so mild, Australian cows can live outside and feed on grass all
year round.
This is what gives our milk its unique rich taste.
Now cows are gentle creatures, not unlike myself, and they like to eat all day.
And there are many different breeds of dairy cows in Australia.
The milk from all of these breeds can be used for drinking or made into a variety of dairy
foods.
Cows eat mainly grass.
And now to turn grass into milk they need four special stomachs.
Four!
They eat very quickly and the grass goes straight to the first and second stomachs where it
becomes softer and it's formed into little balls.
The balls are then returned to their mouths and they chew each ball for another minute.
Then they are swallowed into the third and fourth stomachs for more digestion.
Four stomachs!
Anyway, finally most of the goodness they get from the grass goes to the udders where
there it is made into milk.
The milk making process continues 24 hours a day.
So cows need to be milked regularly, usually each morning and evening.
Twice a day the cows are herded from their paddock to the milking shed.
They are then held in a fenced yard while groups of them go into the shed to be milked.
Inside the milking is done mostly by machines.
Now modern rotary milking units can milk up to 450 cows twice a day.
That's a lot of cows!
The milking machine has a set of, well they are metal and rubber teat cups which are attached
to the cow's udder and then connected to a pump.
The milk is gently squeezed out of each teat and travels along a series of pipes into a
large refrigerated milk vat.
The milking machinery and yard are then thoroughly cleaned, ready for the next milking, the next
group of cows.
Within hours the cold milk is collected by a sterile refrigerated tanker which will transport
the milk to the factory.
The driver tests the milk for quality and freshness before pumping it into his truck.
When the milk reaches the factory two things must happen before it can be packaged or sold.
First the milk is pasteurised, I'll say that again, pasteurised or sterilised by heating
it to 72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds and then immediately cooling it.
This destroys any harmful bacteria.
Next the milk is homogenised.
All milk contains some cream which naturally rises to the surface and settles there.
During homogenisation the cream is distributed evenly throughout the milk to give it a smoother,
creamier texture.
Strict control tests are carried out to ensure the highest levels of quality and cleanliness.
Well it is now ready to be sold as fresh milk or to be used to make other dairy foods.
Oh great, I just felt like a nice cold drink.
Let's go see what else you can get from a cow.
Did you know there's a complete range of delicious Australian dairy foods?
Take milk for instance.
Mmm, there's plain fresh milk, perfect as a drink on its own.
Then there's flavoured milk, low fat milk, skim milk and long life milk.
Milk is also available, as if that wasn't enough, in concentrated or powdered products
which can be remade into liquid milk by adding water and stirring.
Well let's look at some different types of milk.
Fresh milk contains protein, fat and lactose which is milk sugar and is high in calcium.
Low fat and skim milk is made by removing the cream from milk to give a milk with less
fat.
It is higher in calcium than fresh milk and well of course lower in fat.
Long life or UHT milk is fresh milk that has been ultra heated, heated to a very high temperature
and then cooled very quickly.
And then it is sealed in special packaging.
It can be stored without refrigeration for up to five months until it's open.
Long life milk has a similar nutritional value to fresh milk and is also available in different
flavours.
That's the UHT milk.
Now we've talked about the nutritional content of milk and that it's a good source of calcium
and protein.
Now let me explain why you need calcium and protein.
Calcium is an important mineral that strengthens our bones and teeth.
Protein is needed to build body tissue and muscle.
A small amount of fat is also contained in milk and that's important because fats are
a concentrated source of energy and also supply vitamins A and D.
So with all this goodness a glass of milk is much healthier for you than lollies or
chips.
Let's look at a comparison of different milks to see which has the most calcium and protein.
Other types of milk are evaporated and condensed.
Deterrified and condensed milks have the water removed to increase the solids content which
gives them a thicker texture.
Sweetened condensed milk has sugar added to act as a preservative.
Now both types of milk are higher in protein, calcium and fat than other milks.
Low fat and skim milk alternatives are also available.
Then there's powdered milk.
Now powdered milk is dried by spraying fine droplets of concentrated milk into a stream
of hot air in a large drying chamber.
Did you realise that?
That's true.
This removes almost all the moisture without losing the flavour or the nutrients of the
original milk.
Powdered milk is high in protein and fat.
Now powdered skim milk is higher in protein and much lower in fat.
These milks are used to make many everyday foods.
Flavoured milk is a favourite of mine and it's a favourite cold refreshing drink, especially
chocolate and strawberry flavours.
Flavoured milk is similar in nutritional value to fresh milk and its sugar level is low compared
with other drinks and it tastes delicious.
Now don't forget to enjoy any sort of milk at its freshest and best.
You should always check the expiry or the use by date on the pack and keep it refrigerated
at 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.
It's pretty cold, especially for us kangaroos.
Obviously all dairy foods require good refrigeration and they should be returned to the refrigerator
after use.
They should also be covered or wrapped after opening and that keeps them fresher for longer.
Now of course there's more to dairy products than just milk.
Oh yeah, there's creamy butter which is spread on bread and used in cooking to give foods
a rich smooth taste.
Butter is made by churning fresh cream until the fat forms a solid mass.
Then there's this stuff called ghee.
Well ghee is another type of butter known as clarified butter which has most of the water
removed.
Because of this it is ideal for pan frying as it does not splatter and burn yourself.
Then of course there's cream, the half way stage between milk and butter.
By tradition cream is something rich and luxurious, something special.
It is made from the fat component of milk, removed with a separator which spins the milk
and concentrates the fat in the form of cream.
Regular cream contains a significant amount of milk fat to give it a thick texture for
spooning onto cakes and desserts.
There are many varieties of delicious Australian cheeses, each with its own taste and texture.
Some are a little heavier than others.
To make cheese a starter culture or a special friendly bacteria is added to warm pasteurised
milk to ferment the milk sugar into lactic acid.
Next a setting agent, usually rennet, is added to set the milk.
The rennet turns the milk into solid curds and liquid whey.
The curds are then cut, stirred and heated again.
The whey is then drained from the solid cheesy curd and the curd is drained, formed into
blocks and placed in a controlled temperature room.
And this develops the taste and the texture that you desire.
Because it takes 10 litres of milk to make just one kilogram of cheese, cheese is very
nutritious.
Every type of cheese is different.
But generally speaking it is a very valuable source of protein and calcium.
The most popular varieties, let me see, the most popular varieties of cheese would have
to be natural cheddar and processed cheddar.
Natural cheddar follows the normal cheese making process that I explained before.
Processed cheddar on the other hand is made by shredding, mixing and heating a blend of
cheddar cheeses with a multi-fying salt which prevents fat separation.
Because of the heating process, processed cheddar cheese has a much longer shelf life
than natural cheddar.
It can generally remain on shelf, unrefrigerated until opened.
Now the blending process also gives it a smooth, mild texture and flavour.
By comparison, natural cheddars are more, well, you know, crumbly in texture and have
a stronger taste depending on how long they have been left to age or mature.
Some of the natural cheddar varieties have been developed over hundreds of years by special
cheese makers.
I know, my relatives have told me.
Some other popular varieties of Australian cheese are camembert, brie, gouda, swiss and
fruit cheeses.
Now who has tried yoghurt?
Yoghurt is a type of fermented milk first made in Turkey through, no, made in Turkey,
not made by turkeys.
First made in Turkey centuries ago.
It is a unique blend of nutritious milk and special bacteria.
The bacteria are friendly, we call them, and they are added to improve flavour or for health
benefits.
The purpose of adding friendly bacteria is to ferment the milk to produce lactic acid,
a natural preservative, and to produce the distinctive flavour of yoghurt.
The smooth texture found in many yoghurts is achieved by, what do you think?
That's right, stirring.
You can buy rich creamy yoghurts or low fat varieties in natural and fruit flavours.
Low fat varieties made from low fat and skim milk are higher in calcium than fresh milk
yoghurts.
Then we come to ice cream.
Ice cream is a frozen dessert or treat made from milk, cream, sugar, flavours and gelatin.
The mixture is stirred, pasteurised, homogenised, and I know you know what they mean, cooled
and frozen rapidly and whipped to give it a light, fresh taste and creamy texture.
It is kept in the freezer at minus 20 to minus 25 degrees Celsius.
Mmm, delicious.
Try some.
Now I'm sure you know how important it is to eat a balanced healthy diet, but what you
may not know is how important dairy foods are when it comes to eating right.
I've already talked about dairy foods as an important source of calcium, which helps build
strong bones and healthy teeth, and protein, which is vital to develop and maintain muscle
and body tissue.
Dairy foods are also rich in vitamin A, which helps night vision and keeps the lining of
the nose, throat, lungs and the digestive system in good condition.
They also contain vitamin D for strong bones and to help the body absorb calcium and phosphorus.
There's a lot of good things in dairy foods.
Eating plenty of dairy products from an early age also helps prevent osteoporosis, a condition
which affects many women over 40.
Osteoporosis is when the bones become thinner and more fragile and tend to fracture easily.
The stronger your bones are, the more calcium you can afford to lose before you put yourself
at risk of developing osteoporosis.
It's a bit like putting money in the bank.
So if you've got sense, start building up your bone bank while you're young.
And if all that wasn't enough, they even help teeth fight against decay by forming a protective
coating against the acids in plaque.
Planning a healthy diet each day means choosing a variety of foods.
The food supply can be divided into food groups and there are five groups, each with a special
role in your health.
It's important if you want to stay fit and healthy to choose a balanced diet from all
five groups.
And what are the five food groups?
Okay, I know some of you know them, but these are for everyone.
First there's group one, breads and cereals, which contain protein, starch for energy,
fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Then there's group two, fruit and vegetables, which contain fibre, starch and sugar for
energy, minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamin C.
Group three is meat and meat alternatives.
This group includes meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dried peas, lentils and nuts.
They provide protein, fat for energy, vitamins and minerals, particularly iron.
Group four is milk and dairy foods.
These foods also provide protein, carbohydrates and some fat for energy, vitamins and minerals,
especially calcium for strong teeth and bones.
And last of all, there's group five, butter and oils.
This group provides fat for energy, essential fatty acids and vitamins, particularly vitamins
A and D.
Once you've identified the five food groups, you can then use the healthy diet pyramid
as an easy guide to balanced eating.
The way to do it is this.
Eat most of the foods in the bottom group, fruit and vegetables, bread and cereals, four
or more serves a day.
Eat moderately the foods in the middle group, milk, cheese, yogurt, fish, lean meat, poultry
and legumes, say three or four serves a day.
And eat only a small amount of the foods in the top group.
They're your salt, sugar, butter, margarine, oil and cream.
As well as a healthy balanced diet, you need regular exercise.
Taking part in an enjoyable activity or sport helps you stay healthy and enjoy life more.
Now, good nutrition is not hard.
The basis of a healthy diet for people of all ages is simply balance, moderation and
variety.
And what a variety of foods there is.
Oh boy, you have five food groups to choose from.
And remember to include some regular enjoyable exercise, you know, like bouncing around Australia.
As part of a healthy lifestyle, delicious Australian dairy foods make good sense.
Try some today.
See ya.