Years ago, milky coffee developed a skin when it cooled. Why doesn't that happen now?

(I suspect that we used to have full cream milk, whereas now we have semi-skimmed. If that's the answer, fine, but I wonder if there is a different process in the milk industry that causes this difference.)

Years ago, milky coffee developed a skin when it cooled. Why doesn't that happen now?
milk is now homogenized to keep it from separating





before it was only pasteurized





it was the cream that separated and scummed on the top now it takes higher temps to make milk separate





So depending on how hot your coffee is sometimes it will scum





It also depends on how much fat is in the milk you are using





the skim milk has lower fat now then it did before and now they have 1%
Reply:mine still gets a skin on top.Must be the change of milk.
Reply:yep, full cream is what makes the skin on the top of your coffee.
Reply:my milky coffe has a skin so does my custard


we used to fight over who would get the custard skin
Reply:it must be because there is no fat in the milk
Reply:yep ....we used to get our milk from the milkman which had cream on the top of it...
Reply:I use semi skimmed milk and still get a skin on top when I have hot milk, haven't had milky coffee for years lol!
Reply:You are right it is because the majority of us use semi skimmed. I must say i do not miss it as it made me gag.
Reply:A couple of months ago, I put a similar question in the home's newsletter.





Basically when the fats and proteins are heated, they separate and the fats float to the top and as the milk cools again, they start to coagulate once more and that is what forms the skin we see.





If you haven't been using creamy, fatty milk, the effect would have been less pronounced.
Reply:I use full fat milf but it's all in cartons these days and we used bottled back then. Maybe that's the reason? Also I remember my parents used to use coffee-mate and there was a skin.
Reply:I have to agree with Kay.ce. If my coffee is not ver hot, then there is no skin. But, if the coffee was really hot (like wormed up in the microwave) then the skin does form.
Reply:You hit the nail on the head. Less cream if any too much fat. We used to get milk delivered and in the winter the cream came to the top and froze. my dad use that for his coffee and he better not find anyone else using it

hydrangeas