Photo timeline of raw milk vs pasteurized milk sitting at room temperature

Raw milk ferments and turns into cheese. Pasteurized milk rots and decays in a way that is disgusting to sight and smell.

Most people have never actually ran an experiment to find out, but we’ve got a solution for that! Through this easy and accessible home experiment, you can see how the two compare.

Materials, set and setting

You’ll need a few things:

Raw milk
Pasteurized milk
2 glass mason jars

Fill one jar a quarter to half way up with raw milk. Do the same with the second jar and pasteurized milk. Place the jars somewhere safe, and from here all you’ll do is air out the jars once a day.

You can see for yourself how the two conditions of milk fare over time at room temperature. The results may shock you, maybe even provide little a healthy dose of cognitive dissonance if you’re still swigging the conventional swill.

Another factor in play is room temperature. Warmer temps break down food faster, while colder temps slow the decomposition process. This doesn’t matter here, since both the raw milk and pasteurized milk will brew on the same level playing field.

The experiment you’re about to tour was conducted at a room temperature of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Watch the experiment unfold

SpinachBrah on twitter dot com has decided to run this experiment since I mentioned it some time ago. He’s been done an excellent job documenting the process each day.

Below I’ll link to SpinachBrah’s timeline and provide a little narration.

Raw milk vs pasteurized: Day 0

Day 0, zero number of days have passed. This experiment has begun.

Can you tell which one is which, and why?

View post and replies for Day 0 on Twitter.

Day 1

One day has passed. You can see a clear line as the cream separates toward the top of the raw milk jar. The pasteurized milk hasn’t changed in appearance.

View post and replies for Day 1 on Twitter.

Day 2

48 hours in, the pasteurized milk jar hasn’t changed. The raw milk jar’s cream line is even more clearly defined today. Upper cream layer of the raw milk is looking more golden yellow and buttery, while the bottom is a little more transparent.

View post and replies for Day 2 on Twitter.

Day 3

It’s ALIVE. Raw milk jar is now bubbling up with fermentation, you can tell by the bubbles. Pasteurized milk maintains its homogenized appearance, for now.

View post and replies for Day 3 on Twitter.

Day 4

Milk solids in the raw milk jar are coagulating into a hunk of cheese. It separates from the water, which becomes a dumping ground for acidic microbe waste products like ethanol.

View post and replies for Day 4 on Twitter.