H4 



Condensed Milk and Milk Powder 



When the milk thaws up the curd remains contracted and fails to 



form a smooth emulsion with the remainder of the milk. 



The sweetened condensed milk does not freeze, because it 



contains so concentrated a sugar solution that its freezing point is 



usually far below the refrigerating tem- 

 perature. If it is packed in solder-sealed 

 cans there is usually no bad effect from 

 cold storage. However, when packed in 

 cans sealed with the friction cap or the 

 burr cap, difficulties may arise. These 

 seals are not air-tight. Excessively low 

 storage temperatures cause the contents 

 to shrink appreciably. Suction is formed 

 and air is drawn in through the seal. 

 When these cans again warm up, the vis- 

 cous milk in the cans seals the micro- 

 scopic openings, the air and the liquid 

 expand but the air finds no exit. This 

 causes the cans to swell. While the 

 quality of the milk in these cans is not 

 impaired in the least, the swelled cans 



suggest gaseous fermentation, which means spoiled milk and which 



is invariably rejected on the market. 



The temperatures at which condensed milk can be stored with 



the least objectionable results, range between 32 and 50 degrees F. 



Advisability of Storing. — A heavy stock of condensed milk is 

 a severe drain on the working capital of the condensery, involving 

 the cost of the fresh milk, cane sugar, tinplate, boxes, solder, labels, 

 coal and labor. 



Unless the manufacturer has successfully overcome and mas- 

 tered all of the principal condensed milk defects, and, unless his 

 experience justifies him in believing that his goods will stand the 

 trials of storage, he will find it advisable not to manufacture more 

 than he can promptly dispose of. Even at best, the condensed milk 

 will be from three to six months old before it is all consumed, and, 

 if it is at all subject to deterioration, the sooner it is consumed 

 the better. 



But even if the condensed milk comes out of storage in good 



Fig. 48. The Stevenson door 



Courtesy of Stevenson Co. 



