CHAPTER XLIX 



ACIDIMETER — A TEST FOR ACID IN MILK 



T N butter, and even to a greater extent in cheese 

 ■*■ making, the necessity for knowing the exact 

 amount of acid at the different stages of manufac- 

 ture, has introduced the simple, quick, cheap 

 method known as the alkaline test, which gives the 

 percentage of acid present in the sample tested. 



The principle of the test is based on the fact 

 that a certain amount of an alkaline solution of a 

 known standard strength (.iii normal) will neu- 

 tralize a certain amount of acid; therefore, if it 

 takes so much of the solution to neutralize the acid 

 in a given quantity of milk, cream, or whey, it is 

 easy to find the percentage of acid present. But 

 the method and scale are so arranged as to give 

 the percentage without any calculating. 



The solution is made from caustic soda. The 

 outfit and solution can be bought from any dairy 

 supply company. The outfit and a gallon of the 

 solution costs about $4.00. 



This test has made the work of cheese-making 

 very much more accurate, and the product more 

 uniform. It is used in creameries with equal suc- 



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