Churning Butter & Minds

Today in Hands-On Science, we investigated the physical and chemical properties of the various components of milk. By vigorously shaking heavy whipping cream inside of a sealed jar, students were able to separate the milkfat from the buttermilk and extract lovely home-made butter! This demonstrates the limited solubility of fats and lipids in aqueous solutions such as milk; the mere act of shaking it was sufficient to separate lipids from the other, more water-soluble components in the milk. #ScienceFriday