John Myers
Do you have lactose intolerance or would you like to cook lactose-free? Here we explain whether goat’s milk and goat’s cheese are lactose-free and what the maturing time has to do with tolerability!
Enjoy lactose-free
Lactose is the milk sugar in milk products such as cheese, yogurt, or quark. In the supermarket, you will find products that are naturally lactose-free. For example mountain cheese or parmesan. Due to their long maturation, the lactose is almost completely broken down. On the other hand, in the case of foods that are marked as lactose-free by manufacturers, the lactose is not removed through ripening. Instead, the lactose is broken down into simple sugars with the help of the enzyme lactase.
Note: Do you really have to cook lactose-free or maybe you just have an allergy to milk protein? Cow’s milk contains more than 20% of casein. Goat’s milk, on the other hand, only contains 5% and is, therefore, better tolerated with an allergy to the protein.
Is goat milk lactose-free?
All milk naturally contains lactose – regardless of whether it is sheep’s, goat’s, or cow’s milk. If you have lactose intolerance, goat’s milk is also unsuitable for you, because even the smallest amounts can then trigger symptoms. However, if there is only a slight intolerance, then the milk from the goat with 4-5g lactose per 100ml may be digestible since the lactose content in goat’s milk products is significantly lower than in cow’s milk. However, the taste takes some getting used to and therefore cannot be compared to cow’s milk.
Is goat cheese lactose-free?
The lactose content in the cheese also decreases as the cheese matures. Therefore, the more sliceable types of goat’s cheese are better tolerated than fresh goat’s cheese. The following table will help you to evaluate the tolerability:
Type of cheese – Lactose content per 100 g
- Goat Gouda – 0.1
- Soft goat cheese – 0.5-1
- Goat cream cheese – 2-4
Lactose-free shopping
Milk, yogurt, and cheese are now available everywhere without lactose. The remaining lactose is also removed from some goat milk products. Unfortunately, the selection is currently often smaller than with the cow’s milk variants.
Tip: You are increasingly finding milk chocolate from goats, which is easily digestible even if you are lactose intolerant and is also worth a sin!
Get an appetite? Then try goat’s cheese wrapped in bacon with honey or prepare a delicious tarte flambée with pears and goat’s cheese.
