A NEW MILK ADULTERANT

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 54

A NEW MILK ADULTERANT

A new milk adulterant has been discovered in use by the dairy inspectors in Minnesota. It is called viscogen, and is composed of sugar, lime and water. It has the effect of making milk appear richer than it is, as the lactic acid in the milk turns the lime to a thick, white substance that assimilates with tho milk, improving its looks without injuring its taste. Dr Babcock, the inventor of the famous milk tester, upon being consulted, explains that viscogeu is prepared by dissolving caustic June m a solution of cane sugar, and was at first recommended by Dr Russell and myself as an agent which could be used without detriment to health for the

restoration of the consistency of pasteurised cream, which is very much thinner than natural cream, containing the same amount of fat. In natural cream the fat globules are to a considerable extent grouped together in masses, containing from two or three to several hundred globules, while in pasteurised cream the globules are uniformly distributed. The thinner appearance of pasteurised cream is due to this fact. It was found that viscogen caused the fat globules to become grouped in a similar way to natural cream, and that the consistency was in this way restored. The amount of viscogen required to accomplish this is very small, so that the lime introduced is scarcely' more than the difference found in natural milks from different sources. Before publishing our bulletin, leading physicians were consulted regarding the sanitary effect of this addition, and without exception we were told that it did not injure the cream; in fact, most phy'sicians recommend the addition of lime water to milk for children and invalids, as it is supposed to promote its digestibility. We also consulted legal authorities, and were told that viscogeu could not be considered an adulteration if the consumers were informed of its use. Under these conditions only' have we recommended it. The customers of the Experimental Farm Creamery' all prefer cream treated in this way to natural cream. Whereever viscogeu has been used in the manner recommended by us. there seems to be no objection, either from a sanitary or legal point of view. In this respect it differs widely from the ordinary preservatives and adulterants that are added to milk. I presume, however, that in many cases unscrupulous parties have used it to deceive their customers regarding the richness of cream, and wherever this has occurred the penalty for adulteration should be strictly enforced. I very much regret that this substance, which was originally intended only' to benefit the consumer, is being misused in this way.