FAINTED OR DEFECTIVE MILKS, THEIR CAUSES AND 

 METHODS OF PREVENTION. 



BY DR. H. L. RUSSELL, BACTERIOLOGIST, WISCONSIN EXPERIMENT 

 STATION AUTHOR OF "DAIRY BACTERIOLOGY." 



Madison, Wis. 



The peculiar constitution of milk renders it especially liable to de- 

 fects that seriously impair its value for dairy products. Particularly is 

 this so where made up into cheese, as tainted milk exerts a more pronounced 

 and harmful effect when made into this product than into butter. Thous- 

 ands of dollars are yearly lost to the cheese industry because of the imper- 

 fections that occur in the condition of the milk. Much of this could be 

 saved if a more thorough knowledge concerning the causes of these troubles 

 could be disseminated. 



Considering the question of milk defects from the standpoint of the 

 milk producer the factory patron the subject may be treated under 

 the following heads: 



1. Taints or defects produced by the presence of living micro-organ- 

 isms. 



2. Taints or defects due to the absorption of pre-existing odors from 

 the air or food, or to the derangement of the normal functions of the 

 animal. 



In the first instance we have to deal with biological problems, with 

 milk as affected by living germs; in the second, the defective or improper 

 condition is caused mainly by the absorption of odors in a purely physical 

 way, or is due to some unusual condition of the system of the animal. 



Before taking up the taints in milk due to germ life, it may be help- 

 ful to premise this with a brief discussion of how living organisms gain 

 access to milk and the conditions that favor their development. 



MILK AS A BACTERIAL FOOD MEDIUM. The physical constitution of 

 milk is well adapted to promote the active growth of many living organisms 



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