M. D. PATEL, B. M PATEL AND C. N. DAVE 97
was much reduced. There was still a large pro-
portion of yellow interfering colour. Thus even
under these modifications the furfurol reagent
was to be preferred.
CONCLUSIONS
(1) The intensity of colour developed in the
Villavecchia reaction increased with increase in
the strength of HCl. Fuming HCl gave the
best results.
(2) The colour developed in the Villavecchia
reaction increased with the quantity of sesame
oil present in the reaction mixture, but it was
not exactly proportional to the quantity of oil
used.
(3) The sensitivity of the reaction could be
greatly enhanced by heating the test mixture
for three minutes at 50°C before centrifuging.
Higher temperatures did not produce uniform
results.
(4) Substitution of furfurol by any of the
following sugars, viz. lactose, invert sugar,
manose, galactose, glucose, fructose, sucrose
and dextrin, did not increase the sensitivity of
the reaction.
(5) Improved Villavecchia reaction was carried
out as follows:
10 gm. of oil were mixed with 0.1 ml. of 2
per cent alcoholic solutions of furfurol and 10
ml. of HCl. After shaking, the tubes were kept
in a water-bath at 50°C. for three minutes,
shaken and the aqueous layer allowed to sepa-
rate. For the quantitative estimation of colour,
the aqueous layer was transferred to centrifuge
tubes and then centrifuged at 2,500 r.p.m. for
five minutes.
REFERENCES
Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official
Agricultural Chemists (1940), 441
Villavecchia, Y. and Fabris, G. (1893). Zt. Chem. 172
505 ; J. S. C. I., 1894, 13, 69
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE QUALITY OF GHEE FROM COW
AND BUFFALO UNDER UNIFORM DIETARY CONDITIONS,
INCLUDING HEAVY FEEDING OF COTTON SEED
By M.D. PATEL, B. M. PATEL and C. N. DAVE, Animal Nutrition and Dairy Chemistry Section,
Institute of Agriculture, Anand
(Received for publication on 23 August 1943)
THE results of a series of experiments hitherto
carried out to study the effects of various food
fats on the quantity and quality of milk fat suggest
that the quantitative secretion of milk fat can be
altered by a dietary fat, but not over any extended
period, whereas the physical and chemical cons-
tants of milk fat can be permanently modified by
the quality of the fat ingested. These observa-
tions have, however, been made on the milk fat
from cows only. There is an apparent lack of in-
formation as to the extent the milk fat of buffaloes
is susceptible to both quantitative and qualitative
changes due to the character of the foodfat con-
sumed. Only a few recorded data are available
which would indicate the comparative influence
of the dietary fat on the milk fats of cows and
buffaloes when both these species are fed the same
production ration [Doctor et al, 1940] or when their
production ration is similarly altered by a dietary
modification.
In the present paper are reported the results of
an investigation carried out to study :
(a) The comparative difference in the physical
and chemical constants of ghee, produced from the
milk fats of both cows and buffaloes, when they
were receiving the same production ration, and
(b) The relative changes in the physical and
chemical constants of ghee, when the concentrate
mixture in the production ration was entirely
replaced by cotton seed.
Cotton seed is one of the most commonly used
concentrates for milch cattle in Bombay Province
and the Western Indian States. There is a popu-
lar belief in these parts that cows and buffaloes,
when fed on cotton seed, give milk richer in fat,
and the ghee made from the butter fat of such
animals is of superior quality.
EXPERIMENTAL
For the purpose of the investigation 12 healthy
animals, six Kankrej cows and six Surti buffaloes,
were selected. The selected animals were appro-
ximately similar in age, number and the stage of
lactation. They were divided into two groups,
' experimental' and 'control'. In the experimental
group were taken four cows and four buffaloes,
and in the control group, two cows and two
buffaloes. The rations for the two groups of
animals are set out in Table I.