CHEMICAL COMPOSITION 201 



seasons of the year, no hard and fast rule can be given. The 

 following figures merely show the average composition of sweet- 

 ened condensed milk as obtained from the results of analyses of 

 a" large number of different brands. 



Average Composition of Sweetened Condensed Milk. 



Water 26.5 per cent. 



C fat 9.0 per cent, ^j 



:,,Milk solids J pr teids f per Cent I 32.6 per cent, 



milk sugar 13.3 per cent. 



L ash 1.8 per cent. J 



Cane sugar 40.9 per cent. 



Total 100.0 per cent. 



Water. The water content is largely governed by the de- 

 gree of condensation and the per cent, of cane sugar. American 

 brands average from 24 per cent, to 28 per cent, water. In ex- 

 ceptional cases milk has been found to contain as low as. 21 per 

 cent, and as high as 34 per cent, water. 



Milk Solids. The per cent, of milk solids is largely gov- 

 erned by the per cent, of milk solids in fresh milk and the degree 

 of condensation. In the majority of brands the solids fluctuate 

 'between 28 and 34 per cent. ; in extreme cases analyses have 

 shown less than 28 per cent, and as high as 40 per cent, milk 

 solids. The relative proportion in which the various solid con- 

 stituents are present is the same as that in the fresh milk from 

 which the condensed milk is made, provided that the fresh milk 

 was not skimmed previous to condensing. 



The fact that the U. S. standard requires not less than 28 

 per cent, milk solids and the introduction of perfected methods of 

 standardizing have an unmistakable tendency toward keeping 

 the percentage of milk solids down to 28 per cent. 



Butter Fat. The butter fat in sweetened condensed whole 

 milk fluctuates from about 8 to 12 per cent,, according to locality, 

 season of year and degree .of condensation. Sweetened cog- 

 jdensed milk sold in barrels is usually partly or wholly skimmed 

 and is, therefore, low in fat. It has been suggested tliat ;ar r -small 

 portion of trie milk fat is lost during the process of condensation. 



