Goat milk separating and pasteurizing

[pcrowder]

I've been pasturing my whole goat's milk. Now, I finally broke down and ordered a cream separator (due to arrive any day - yay!). My question is do you pasteurize FIRST and then separate, or separate first and THEN pasteurize? I want to use the cream for butter.
Thanks!

[Anon001]

I never pasteurize milk. It kills essential enzymes we need. Also, pasteurization changes the flavor of milk. I had one woman in her 80's that used to tell me you don't want to try to churn butter from pasteurized milk. If you have a clean kitchen and milk with clean equipment and wash the udder before milking you won't have a reason to pasteurize. Pasteurizing is for the "public good" because the consumer buying in the store can't know the conditions most milking is done in or how sanitary it was milked. But otherwise there is no reason to paseurize.

But, I would separate before pasteurzing. But, you could always try it both ways and see if you can get the butter to churn out after pasteurizing it would mean you would pasteurize before separating.

I like the flavor or raw milk.

[goodwifefarm]

I don't pasturize either. I've kept my kinder goat milk in the fridge for 9 days and it has tasted just as fresh, sweet, and good as the day it came outta the goat! Love that raw milk! ;D

[lsg]

I've been pasturing my whole goat's milk. Now, I finally broke down and ordered a cream separator (due to arrive any day - yay!). My question is do you pasteurize FIRST and then separate, or separate first and THEN pasteurize? I want to use the cream for butter.
Thanks!
pc, I have pasteurized our cow's milk for years. *I have an automatic pasteurizer. *We share our milk periodically with family and friends, so I would rather be safe than sorry. *When I have a lot of milk in the spring, I usually use my small electric separator and just save the cream for butter. I don't pasteurize the cream, because we are about the only ones that use the cream. *I don't know about enzymes; but everyone who has tasted our milk loves it. *I don't believe pasteurization has hurt it all that much.
If you are going to pasteurize the cream, I would pasteurize the milk first and then separate.

[bee_pipes]

...finally broke down and ordered a cream separator...
...want to use the cream for butter...


Hey pcrowder - what has been your experiences with the cream separator? What quantities of milk are you handling and what are your yields on butter? I'd appreciate hearing about your (or anyone else's) experiences with cream separators and goat milk.

Regards,
Pat

[lsg]

bee pipes , I am not pccrowder; but I get a very good yield from my cows milk with a separator. I would imagine it would work very well with goat's milk. *Some models have a cream screw that allows you to adjust the amount of cream you take from the milk. *If you can get an older model at a sale, that is your best bet. *Just make sure all the parts are there and are shiny. *If it is an electric model, make sure the motor is in good shape.

[harvester]

some people say that if you pasturize first and use warm milk, not hot in your separator you will get a greater yield of cream. or on the otherhand you could just separate the milk when its first brought in from milking still warm. same same. It would be easier to pasturize one item, raw milk, than it would be to pasturize two, raw milk and cream. and you would run a risk of scalding the cream during pasturization. use a double boiler or pasturizer to cut this possibility down. Frankly its 6 one way, half a dozen the other.
Please, always pasturize! it will kill enzymes, it will reorganize the atoms, it will do this and it will do that. However, it will also ensure that you are killing possible zoonotic diseases that im sure you dont want passed on to your family.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I don't pasteurize. *I separate when it's warm then just use it raw. I do know that clostridia can be passed as well as other bacterial diseases, but I don't think caprine viral agents are usually zoonotic. (Maybe if the goat had rabies?) I have just found that keeping the goats vaccinated seems to keep use healthy too when it comes to the milk. If your goats don't have tetanus or clostridia, then you won't get it from the milk either. If you have an infant then pasturing would be wise. We just seem to be too old and tough to get sick from some exotic caprine affliction.

[harvester]

here is a link to a good website about the possible spread of infectious diseases from the cunsuming of raw goats milk by humans.
http://www.drakefamilyfarms.com/milk.htm

it makes a very good statement in there about relying on the overall outward condition of your animal as a guide to wether or not its safe to drink their milk.

CL ( Caseous Lymphadenitis) being a big threat of infection from goats to humans. The disease is very common in the U.S. Latest studies have determined that CL is zoonotic. most CL positive goats do not show signs untill it is too late. By the time you see a cyst the animal has already been infected for several months to even years, and is shedding CL into the milk. Vaccinating against CL in goats is still in its trial stages and many CL free goats that have been vaccinated have still tested positive for CL later. There is no cure for CL!
This link will tell you all about CL and what it can do to you and your family through raw milk.
http://www.goatworld.com/articles/cl.shtml

Listeria is another zoonotic disease easily passed through the milk to whatever consumes it. Including humans. Again by the time you notice that your goat is suffering from Listeria you could have been consuming its milk for up to a few weeks. Listeria likes to breed and multiply in raw refrigerated milk. Which means that if your goat is in the early stages of listeria and is shedding small amounts into its milk, by the time you have a nice cold glass of it, you are drinking massive quantities of listeria sheds.
Just last year I lost a goat to Listeria. The veterinarian was unable to diagnose her condition through blood samples, 3 examinations, 2 different vets asside from himself, and numerous other samples untill after she was already dead. Just goes to show that animals are individuals and show signs of the same disease differently. Sometimes so differently that they are unrecognizable.

Granted there are zoonotic diseases in goats that have a low chance of infecting humans these days, i.e Rabies, Brucelosis. However the list of other, quite common, possibilities are very high! It is worth taking that time to pasturize your milk to the highest degree of pasturization simply to protect you and your unsuspecting family of contracting a debilitating disease. I pasturize, period. I want to give my family wholesome milk to drink, I would not be able to live with myself knowing that I infected my husband or son with a possibly deadly disease just because I tought, "Pasturizing takes too long", or, "Pasturized milk doesnt contain all the nutrients of unpasturized", or "Pasturized milk doesnt taste as good as raw".

Pasturizing milk takes a couple of minutes in the microwave to a half hour in the pasturizer depending on the quantity of milk you have.
I feed my family a well balanced diet which ensures they are getting the nutrition they need each day. I dont depend on milk to provide my family with all of their daily nutritional needs. But its sure nice to have an ice cold glass of freshly squeezed (pasturized) milk along with dinner!
Pasturized milk tastes exactly like raw. If yours doesnt, the adjust the time on your pasturizer and/or the tempurature. Milk is a fickle thing to work with, sometimes you just have to fool with it a bit.

Please read the following link to the long list of zoonotic goat diseases and make your decision as to wether or not you are willing to take the chance.
http://www.motesclearcreekfarms.com/ASP/articles/zoonotic-diseases.asp

But, in the end, people will do what they think is best, and this is just my opinion. I do believe however that every aspect should be thoroughly researched before putting your hard earned harvest on the table. :)