Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-04-07

Chemistry of N Bowl of N1illk, as
am Article of rood.
Caseine is very remarkable SUBJ
stance. and is found only in milk, where
it exists in state of perfect solution.
1t is held thus by the presence of a small
quantity of alkali. Now if we add to
milk few drops Of acid, we neutralize
this, and the caseine coagulates or forms
a solid body, which is called curd. The
manufacture of cheese depends upon this
coagulation of caseine. This result, pro.
duced under the influence of simple
wet membrane without acids, is a phe-
nomenon so remarkable that it is no
wonder it has excited much attention.
A bit. of the lining of a calfs stomach
-rennet-placed in milk, precipitates
the caseine rapidly, and from this cheese
is formed. ee c
so Berzelius states that he took small
piece of this membrane, washed it clean,
dried it as completely as possible, weigh
ed it carefully, put it into eighteen hum
.dred times its weight of milk, and heated
the whole to 100 deg. Fahrenheit. After
some little time coagulation was COM
j plete. He then removed the membrane,
washed, dried. and once more weighed
it; the loss amounted to rather more
than one-seventeenth of the whole. Ac-
cording to this experiment, one part of
the active matter dissolved from the
membrane had coagulated about thirty
thousand of the milk. Does chemistry
explain satisfactorily this wonderful ef-
feet of infnitesimal quantity of rennet
upon milk 1t does. The change is
due to the presence of "sugar of
milk" in the milk. This substance is pe-
culiarly prone to pass over into Tactic
acid under favorable conditions, by ap-
propriating the elements of water. The
membrane acts as ferment, Tactic acid
fermentation is set up, and a minute
quantity of that acid is produced; this
Immediately acts upon the caseine, coag-
ulating it and producing curd. Without
the aid of the membrane milk will pre-
cipitate the curd. There is no Tactic acid
in fresh milk, but after a few hours in
warm place it makes its appearance, the
caseine falls, and it becomes sour. This
could not occur if no sugar was present
t in the milk. The thin, pale-colored,
translucent liquid remaining after the
curd is removed, called "whey," consists
mainly of water, holding the saline con-
stituents and the sugar of milk. The
curd, after it is salted and pressed, under
goes particular kind of putrefactive
change, which gives flavor to the cheese.
Milk, examined by the aid of mi
croscope, presents to the eye myriads of
remarkably minute globular particles,
suspended in thin liquid. These par
ticles are termed butter, and rise to the
top upon standing, bringing with them
portion of the caseine and serum, and
thus form cream. By agitation, or
churning, the fatty matter is separated
from the milk, and butter is produced.
The secretion may be very seriously
and detrimentally interfered with. By
the employment of certain articles in the
food, the color, odor, taste, and medi-
cinal effect of milk may be modi-
fled I; and this is SO well un-
derstood by physicians, that in
France children are brought under
the influence of medicine administered
to the mother. And further, new
form of treatment has been instituted,
which is based upon the plan of admin
istering to animals certain remedial
agents, and causing patients to live upon
the milk of the animals. 1t is evident
we cannot be too strongly impressed
with the Importance of providing pure,
healthy milk for children. The state Of
health of the female has much to do with
the quality of the milk; and sickly
mother should hesitate before leopard
izing the iwell-being of the infant by al
lowing it to feed at the maternal foun-
tain.
1t is equally as important that cows
milk should come from perfectly healthy
animals. .sLabillardiero, states that the
milk of a cow, affected byFa species of
phthisis, contained seven times more
phosphate of lime than usual; and Dupuy
also noticed the large quantity of cal
careous matter in milk from cows simi,
Iarly affected. Diseased milk may be