Milk Flour or Plasmon. 141 



MILK FLOUR OR PLASMON. 

 Various Methods of Manufacture. 



For a long time past chemists have sought for a method of 

 exttacting the water and fat from milk so as to obtain the nitrogenous 

 or albumenoid constituents in a dry and conceiitiated form, cajtable of 

 retaining indefinitely the full nutrient value of fresh skim milk. 

 Success has at last been obtained, and no less than three separate 

 processes for this purpose have recently been brought forward. 



Plasmon. 



The trade name of Plasmon has been given to the first of these 

 so-called iiiilk flours. In the process of manufacture after the lemoval 

 of the crean), the separated milk is treated so as to coagulate the 

 protein or albumen, and tlie coagulated mass is then kneaded and 

 dried at a tempeiature of 70 degrees C, under an atmosphere of 

 carbonic acid gas. When all the moistui'e is extracted the diied mass 

 is ground into a powder completely soluble in hot watei-. 



This process though rapid is unfortunately expensive and the 

 special machinery required can only be obtained in Germany, where 

 tiie substance was first prepared by the well-known chemist, Siebold. 



Milk Floue. 



In Sweden, desiccated milk has been put upon the market under 

 the name of Milk Flour. The skinuned milk has been reduced to the 

 form of powder by Dr. Ekenberg of Gothenburg, and the apparatus by 

 which this result is brought about is known as an exsiccator. At a 

 meeting of the Academy of Agriculture, Dr. Ekenberg exhibited 

 samples of the desiccated uulk which elicited favourable opinions. The 

 product possesses all the qualities of milk in a coucentrated form, 

 except that the moisture is absent, and it will not turn sour nor 

 ferment, it is completely soluble in hot water and can readily be 

 transported in tins or bags. The cost of production is stated to be about 

 ^d. pei- gallon of milk treated, or aj)proximately id. |»er oz. for the 

 Milk Flour, and the price of a large evaporating machine is about £250 



NUTRIUM. 

 According to the Scientific American, Dr. Joseph H. Campbell, of 

 Pennsylvania, has likewise succeeded in giving us milk in the form of 

 powder, and to this powdeied milk the name of Nutrium has been 

 given. The method of preparation consists in driving off the water 

 by means of blasts of dry sterilized air, the milk being kept in motion 

 at first merely by the force of the air currents, but when it becomes 

 somewhat thickened it is transferred to revolving drums and exposed 

 to blasts of the sterilized air until perfectly dry. It is afterwards 

 ground to powder and packed for despatch. 



