30 MILK [m 



peptones may take place. Thus, a German investi- 

 gator has found that, in milk standing eight hours, 

 a loss of caseous matter amounting to '25 per cent 

 (that is, 10 per cent of the original quantity) took 

 place, owing to such conversion. A consideration of 

 this fact points to the importance of coagulating milk 

 destined for the manufacture of cheese as speedily as 

 possible. 



Albumin. The albumin of milk does not seem 

 to be identical with blood or serum albumin, and 

 hence it has been called lactalbumin. Its composition 

 (Sebelien) is as follows : 



Carbon . . . . 



Hydrogen .... 



Nitrogen .... 



Oxygen .... 



Sulphur .... 



100-00 



Albumin differs from casein in not containing 

 phosphorus, and from the other albuminoids of milk 

 in containing sulphur. Its average percentage in 

 milk, according to Kirchner, is *6 ; its amount 

 varying from ! 2 to '8 per cent. It is, as has 

 already been mentioned, in a state of solution in 

 milk. It is soluble in dilute acids and rennet, and 

 is not coagulated along with the casein in cheese- 

 making. It thus chiefly passes into the whey under 

 such circumstances. By heating the milk to from 



