Why checking SNF percentage in milk packets is extremely important, and what does low SNF mean?

Milk is an integral part of our daily diet. It provides a perfect balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, along with vital vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, potassium, and phosphorus. These components make milk crucial for bone health, muscle growth, and overall development, especially in children and adolescents. When it comes to its composition, it is said that the majority part of milk is water, which helps keep the body hydrated. The main carbohydrate, lactose, provides energy and supports calcium absorption. Milk proteins, mainly casein and whey, are high-quality proteins that promote growth, repair tissues, and build muscles. The fat content in milk adds creaminess and provides essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India sets distinct criteria for different categories of milk, depending on the origin of the animal, the fat content, the solid-not-fat (SNF) components, and the method of processing. This piece of information talks about solid-not-fat (SNF), its importance, and what low SNF means.

As per food experts, SNF in milk refers to Solid-Not-Fat, where it means that substances in milk other than water and butterfat are termed Solids-Not-Fat (SNF). It is a residual component left after the complete evaporation of water from milk.

It is said that in 1961,the California State Legislature introduced a law making SNF composition a key factor in milk pricing. As per experts, low SNF content in milk is due to the lack of protein and other nutrients in the milk. SNF content is crucial because it indicates nutritional richness, it’s used to determine procurement rates for raw milk, and it affects the yield of dairy products like curd, paneer, and milk powder.

According to FSSAI, SNF in milk mostly includes lactose (milk sugar), vitamins, calcium, minerals, fat, protein and other nutrients.

As per FSSAI data, SNF percentage for buffalo milk should be 9.0, cow milk should be 8.3, goat milk should be 8.0, camel milk should be 6.0, mixed milk should be 8.5, toned milk should be 8.5, double toned milk should be 9.0, skimmed milk should be 8.7, full cream milk should be 9.0, sheep milk should be 9.0 and for standardized milk, it should be 8.5.

There are various methods of measuring SNF in milk
Gravimetric method: This method measures total solids (TS) and fat separately. SNF is calculated by subtracting fat from total solids.
Richmond's scale: This is also called slide rule method and in this, sliding scale calculator used to estimate SNF based on fat percentage and corrected lactometer reading (CLR)

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