VISCOGEN-A NEW MILK ADULTERANT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2511, 30 April 1902, Page 6

VISCOGEN-A NEW MILK ADULT ERANT.

The dairy inspectors in the United States have asceitained tint a new adulterant, " Viscogen," is largely in use by daily farmers and dealers in milk. Viscogen is composed df sugar, lime, and water, and 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 the milk, improving its looks without injuring its taste. Dr Babcock, the inventor of the famous milk tested", upon baing consulted, explained that viscogen is prepared by dissolving caustic lime in a soiiuion of cane sugar, and was at first recommended by himself and his co-worker, Dr Russell, 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 his was very small, so that the lime introduced is scarcely more than the difference found in natural milk from different sources. Dr Babcock adds :— " Before publishing our bulletin, leading physic.ans were consulted regarding the sanitary effect of this addition, and without exception we were tola that it did not injure the cream ; in fact, most physicians recommend tha addition of lime water to milk for children and invalids, as it is supposed to promote its digestibility. We a .so consulted legal authorities, and were told that viscogen could not be considered au 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. Wherever viscogen has been used in the manner recommended by us. there seems to ba no objection either from a sanitary or legal point of view. In this respect it differs widely fiom the ordinary preservatives and adulterants that are added to milk. T presume, however, lhafc 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 adu'tcration should be ttnctly enforced. I very much regret that this substance, which was originally intended only to benefit, the consumer, is being misused in this way."