What changes occur in milk as a result of homogenization?

What changes occur in milk as a result of homogenization?

• A. Fat globules decrease in size and become evenly distributed
• B. Fat globules increase in size
• C. Cream rises to the top
• D. Water content increases

Answer: (A)

Homogenization makes milk into a stable emulsion by chopping fat into tiny droplets and keeping them suspended so they stay evenly dispersed rather than separating out as cream. By forcing milk through very small spaces at high pressure, the larger fat globules are broken into much smaller ones, increasing the total surface area. Milk proteins and other surface-active components rapidly adsorb to these droplet surfaces, forming a protective layer that prevents droplets from coalescing. The net effect is a uniform distribution of fat throughout the milk, with no visible cream layer. This is why the change described is that fat globules decrease in size and become evenly distributed. Since homogenization alters droplet size, not the overall water content, the water amount stays about the same. The cream rising to the top is what you’d still see in non-homogenized milk, so that wouldn’t occur after homogenization.

Homogenization makes milk into a stable emulsion by chopping fat into tiny droplets and keeping them suspended so they stay evenly dispersed rather than separating out as cream. By forcing milk through very small spaces at high pressure, the larger fat globules are broken into much smaller ones, increasing the total surface area. Milk proteins and other surface-active components rapidly adsorb to these droplet surfaces, forming a protective layer that prevents droplets from coalescing. The net effect is a uniform distribution of fat throughout the milk, with no visible cream layer. This is why the change described is that fat globules decrease in size and become evenly distributed.

Since homogenization alters droplet size, not the overall water content, the water amount stays about the same. The cream rising to the top is what you’d still see in non-homogenized milk, so that wouldn’t occur after homogenization.