Skimmed milk
Skimmed milk is milk from which most of the cream and milk fat have been removed, usually by mechanical separation.
Cream separator: A machine that separates cream from milk by exploiting differences in density, often through centrifugal force. Centrifugal separation removes the fat-rich cream to produce skimmed milk.
Whole milk: Milk sold with most of its naturally occurring fat retained. It contrasts with skimmed milk in fat content and creaminess.
Evaporated milk: Milk concentrated by removing much of its water, then heat-treated for shelf stability. Skimmed milk can be concentrated into a lower-fat evaporated product.
Milk nutrition: The nutrients and energy supplied by milk, including protein, minerals, vitamins, fat, and carbohydrates. Skimming reduces fat and calories while retaining much of milk's protein and minerals.
Centrifugation: A separation method that uses rapid rotation to sort materials by density. Many dairy separators use centrifugal force to divide cream from the watery milk phase.
Semi-skimmed milk: Milk with some, but not most, of its fat removed. It occupies an intermediate fat level between skimmed and whole milk.
Milk powder: Milk with most of its water removed to make a dry, storable product. Skimmed milk is commonly dried into skim milk powder for storage and food manufacturing.
Calcium: An essential mineral used in bones, teeth, muscle function, and cellular signaling. Removing cream does not remove most of milk's calcium.
Milk fat: The mixture of fats naturally present in milk, largely contained in microscopic globules. Removing most milk fat is what distinguishes skimmed milk from whole milk.
Reduced-fat milk: Milk with less fat than whole milk, including several standardized fat levels. Skimmed milk is the lowest-fat member of this broader product category.