332 MILK 



At this temperature there was an increase of bacteria in raw 

 milk from the first day, insignificant for two days, but more 

 pronounced later. In pasteurized milk the decrease lasted for 

 three days before an increase commenced. 



Investigations seem to show that prompt cooling and keeping 

 the milk below 50° F. are of substantial help in keeping the germ 

 content low. The nearer the freezing-point milk is kept, the more 

 marked is the keeping quality. Freezing milk would probably 

 enhance its keeping quality further, but the physical changes 

 caused by freezing render it inadvisable to resort to actual freezing. 



It is desirable that extensive investigations be carried on in 

 regard to the kinds of bacteria that are able to multiply at low 

 temperature in milk. Milk for infant feeding is frequently taken 

 on lengthy trips and protected from decomposition by keeping 

 it cold. It is important to learn whether the products of bacterial 

 growth at low temperature may constitute a danger in milk. 

 Taste, odor, and physical appearance do not seem to be visibly 

 changed in milk kept at low temperature for a number of days. 

 Milk with low germ content will probably keep in perfectly whole- 

 some condition for a longer period at low temperature than milk 

 with high germ content. This has been illustrated repeatedly 

 when milk was shipped for great distances and kept sweet and 

 low in bacterial content for weeks. 



What has been said about country receiving stations holds 

 also for railway platforms at the point of dehvery. Sufficient 

 protection should be afforded to prevent warming of the milk and 

 access of dust. 



Contamination in the Hands of Dealers and Consumers 



The delivery wagon must be provided with facihties for keep- 

 ing the milk cool during its journey from the railway platform to 

 the house of the consumer. This is not a difficult matter when 

 milk is sold in bottles. When sold from cans it is not as simple. 

 Selling milk from cans by dipping is a custom that should be con- 

 demned, since it not only makes it difficult to keep milk cool, but 

 exposes it to contamination from the air and from the milker. 



In stores conditions are as unfavorable for handling milk from 

 cans as on a wagon. As a matter of fact, in stores milk is hable 

 to become tainted from odors and contaminated from flies. Only 

 bottled milk should be sold from stores. The bottles should be 

 sealed in such fashion that tampering with them, or filling bottles 

 "to order," becomes impossible. The latter custom which still 

 prevails to some extent exposes the milk to dangerous contamina- 

 tion from the caps which are placed on the bottles by hand. 



