What is the boiling point of milk?

1 Answer
Apr 24, 2018

Technically milk doesn't have a single boiling point because it's a mixture.....

Explanation:

Milk is not a single compound, but a mixture of water, with various fats and proteins suspended in it. The exact composition varies according to the type of milk (full fat, semi skimmed, etc) but as a general approximation you can assume about 90% water, about 4% lactose, and a few % of fats and proteins,

Given that the largest fraction of milk is water with a small amount of water soluble components present in it, the boiling point of milk is not significantly different from that of water. It may be a fraction above 100 celcius due to the presence of the dissolved fractions. The fat component will have a much higher boiling point (oils and fats generally boil at temperatures well in excess of 100 degrees C) and being present at only a few % it will not have any real effect on the measured boiling point.

But technically what you are measuring is the boiling point of the water component, rather than of "milk" per se.