the darker color should definitely correlate with how much % grassfed the milk is, based on how they mention its the carotene from the grass being undigested, passing into the milk. the guernsey milks ive seen look the same as the one you posted, but i havent seen any with creamlines even when non homogenized. ive tried one raw milk guernsey and one store bought pasteurized but non homogenized. the 100% grass fed jersey milks ive gotten both in store and raw milks were noticeably darker than guernsey! ive bought two guernsey milks, one raw one pasteurized. jersey ive got one pasteurized, and many raw ones. since its carotene related, it could mean it's down to the type of grass and how much carotene is in the grass itself. i think grass fed can include being fed hay right? it could be that the more orange colored milks are getting more fresh grass while the less orange milks are getting more hay. or its that some grasses have more carotene than others which then changes the milk color.
this is the store bought guernsey milk, it doesnt have a noticeable creamline but sometimes has chunks of cream when drinking it.
but also something notable, on kalona supernaturals website they have an article about vitamin K2 and they state that the deeper yellow color the milk is the more vitamin K2 it has. because of that I have been going for the darkest milks I can find and its been jersey with both the store brands and raw milk farms available.
Yeah, thats what I think too, that the darker color should correlate with the amount of grass in the cows’ diet. That’s why I mentioned the Jersey milk I get is from 100% grass-fed cows whereas, the Guernseys’ diet is pasture and grains and yet the milk from both are the same color. I went to take a picture of the milk today and noticed that the color would change based on the angle of the phone—I’m short so the milk was out of my line of site. Viewed head-on, it looks darker like when it’s on the counter. It’s so perplexing to me why the Guernsey milk you’ve tried didn’t have cream lines.
Yes, hay is just dried grass and silage is fermented grass. So maybe New Hampshire has really green grass. lol I really don’t know why the milk is so golden in comparison. I think what you read on the Kalona site is too blanket a statement. We have to take into account the breed and its ability to convert beta carotene into preformed vitamin A. For example, milk from even a pastured Holstein should, in theory, be whiter than milk from Guernseys and Jerseys. If you’re looking for a good source of K2, gouda should have significantly more. Even butter, especially high vitamin butter oil, should be a better source.
