Why does Milk Curdle?

In cookery, curdling is the breaking of an emulsion or colloid into large parts of different composition through the physico-chemical processes of flocculation, creaming, and coalescence. Curdling is intentional and desirable in making cheese and tofu; unintentional and undesirable in making sauces and custards. Curdling occurs naturally in milk if the milk is not used by the expiration date, or if the milk stays out in warm temperature. Milk is composed of several compounds, primarily fat, protein, and sugar. The protein in milk is normally suspended in a colloidal solution, which means that the small protein molecules float around freely and independently. These floating protein molecules refract light and contribute (with the suspended fat) to the white appearance of milk. Normally these protein molecules repel each other, allowing them to float about without clumping, but when the pH of their solution changes, they can attract one another and form clumps. This is what happens when milk curdles, as the pH drops and becomes more acidic, the protein (casein and others) molecules attract one another and become “curdles” floating in a solution of translucent whey. This clumping reaction happens more swiftly at warmer temperatures than it does at cold temperatures.