The analysis and adulteration of foods / by James Bell.

  • Bell, James, 1824-1908.
Date:
1881-1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The analysis and adulteration of foods / by James Bell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    different constitution to that of the casein of cow’s milk, and to regard such milk as more digestible and more easily assimilated by infants and weakly persons. The fat obtained from the milk of different mammals is dis- tinguished from other animal and vegetable fats by containing a larger proportion of the glycerides of the soluble fatty acids. The percentage of these acids yielded by the fat of cow’s, goat’s, and ewe’s milk is nearly identical. Mare’s milk yields an oily fat very rich in soluble acids, among which butyric is not so apparent as in the fat of cow’s milk. Koumiss.—Mare’s milk is extensively used as an article of food in a partly fermented condition under the name of kouiniss, by many of the tribes inhabiting the steppes of Russia. It appears to lend itself with greater facility than the milk of other mammals for preparations of this kind, owing no doubt to the soluble character of its albumin, and the relatively large proportion of milk-sugar contained in it when the animals are kept in a nearly wild condition. The milk, on being drawn, is set aside for some time and de- prived of part of its cream, after which the addition of a little yeast, or artificial ferment, sets up a slow fermentation, the sugar being thereby converted into alcohol and lactic acid. During fermenta- tion, the milk is subjected to frequent agitation, the object apparently being to retain in suspension the casein, part of which has a tendency to separate on the milk becoming sour. The following results of an analysis of Russian koumiss will give an idea of the composition of a preparation of this kind : Acid, as Lactic ... ... 1*96 Casein ... ... ... 2'ii Sugar 0-40 Fat i‘io Alcohol ... ... ... ... ... 2’12 Ash ... ... ... o‘34 Water ... ... ... ... ... 9i’97