DRIED MILK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 2 August 1918, Page 4

DRIED MILK.

ITS POTENTIALITIES.

CANADIAN EXPERT'S STATEMENT

(N.Z. Times), a With the object of obtaining the most reliable and latest information respecting the trade in and manufacture of dried milk in Oanada and the United States, Mr Harold Beauchamp, chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, cabled Mr J. A. Ruddick, formerly well-known in this Dominion as Government Daiiy Expert, and on Wednesday received a letter from that gentleman confirming cablegraphie reply he sent to Air lieauchamp. It may be mentioned that Mr Ruddick occupies a high position in the Department of Agriculture in. Canada, and is recognised tQ be one of the leading authorities on dairying matters, both in that country and the United States of America. Writing to Mr Beauchamp on 26th ulto., Mr Ruddick says;— "Your cable, of the 24th. instant on the subject of milk powder was duly received. I enclose confirmation of my reply. There has been a considerable extension of the milk powder business in Oanada and the United States since the outbreak of war, and the same thing applies to condensed milk. The Canadian Milk Products Company, the only manufacturers of milk powder in Canada, began operations about 20 years ago, and for a time they operated in a very small way and under many discouragements. They first used what is known as the Just-Hatmaker Process, in which the milk is dried on the surface of hot rollers. Powder made by this process is used only by chocolate, biscuit,, and confectionery manufacturers, ice cream manufacturers, etc. i "Within the last two or three years a new process, controlled by the Tvler-rell-Soul Company, of Syracuse, N.Y.. has been introduced. The milk is first passed through a continuous condenser and reduced about fouf- to one. It is then sprayed under a pressure of about 3000 pounds through a very fine nozzle into a chamber through which a current of heated air is passing. The moisture is taken up almost instantly, and the solids fall to the bottom of the chamber in the form of a fine powder. This powder dissolves very readily and does not have as much of the cooked flavor ais powder made by the other process. The skim milk powder will keep almost indefinitely. They make a whole milk powder, and even a cream powder, by this process,, but these on account of the fat contained therein, do not keep ! any better than butter does, and the fat becomes rancid very soon unless kept in cold storage. "The Canadian Milk Products Company so far have found a market in Oanada for their total output, which amounts to about four million pounds per yeav of the dried powder. "It may be important to you to know that in the manufacture of skim milk powder the fresh sweet milk must be brought to a central factory and handled as expeditiously as possible. The milk is separated but the buttermaking is a secondary consideration. The manufacture of miik powder is not to be considered as a by-product of the creamery, and it would not be practicable to collect skim milk from different creameries and manufacture it into powder. The manufacture of the powder must be the first consideration and the manufacture of butter only incidental. "With the improved powder recently put on the market, the Canadian Milk jJ i-o ducts Company axm now. advoea-. the reconstituting of milk for ordinary purposes. They mix the skim milk powder and water, in right proportion, heat to pasteurising temperature, and then add the proper quantity of butter to make a normal milk. Af£er thorough mixing it is passed through a n emulsiner which breaks up the butter-fat into small globules much as it exists in normal milk. This product has not yet come into use to any extent in Canada, but it is being used some in the United States to supply milk for large institutions, or warships, and other places where 'it is not practicable to secure supplies of fresh milk. I hav c seen this process demonstrated, tested the milk, and to all intents aond purposes it was identical with ordinary pasteurised milk. "The comparative cost of producing milk m this way, as against the cost of tresh milk, has not been worked out. Even the promoters do not pretend that it is cheaper, but point out that a supply of milk powder and butter can be stored up during the period of I flush production and reconstituted when and wihere there is a scarcity. There are possibilities in the idea, but just how it will work out I am not able to say. Canadian Army is using a considerable quantity of the. skim milk powder in the camps, and I believe it is giving very good satisfaction, and I am inclined to think that skim milk powder will replace condensed milk to some extent in the ne»r future. "It seems to me quite possible that the market may be overdone after the war, as the increase in the production of both condensed milk and milk powder has been very large during the past four years. "I hope that this meagre information will be of some use to you. I shall be glad to hear from you again if you think I can big of any assistance to you." The above information will, no doubt, be of value to dairymen in New Zealand who to-day are so greatly impressed with the potentialities' respecting the industiy referred to by Mr Ruddick.