The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-13
Equipment and Management
Undoubtedly Best in Country.
State Board of Health Uses City
Plan as an Illustration.
Development OF few YEARS
Accomplishments of TOpeka's
Inspector and Commissioner.
Housewives, Here Is Showing
of Your Milk Man and Grocer!
SUNDAY.

Only three offices in the state OF
Kansas maintain municipal labora-
tories for the scientific examination
of the milk supply. They are To-
nelxa. Kansas City and Pittsburg- The
topeka laboratory is becoming rec
ognized as model for other cldeS "
pattern after because 1t Is the acme
of efficiency at small cost The equip
r7ent is so inexpensive that any city
pretentious enough to enforce resula-
lions of its milk supply can easily al
ford it At the same time the work
done is on an equality with that OF the
most expensive Work-rOomS-
This fact is being recognized py the
state board of health. and picture
of the Topeka laboratory IS TO De part
of a bulletin on milk Inspection nov
being prepared by the state poaro- II
is being used to illustrate efficiency al
small cost The equipment for the
Topeka laboratory cost complete onIE
$3.50, The maintenance cost eAcIu-
sive of the salary of the milk lnspeco
TOR and assistant, will not exceed S5Oo
annually.
Equipment.
The materials needed for estlmat-
ing the number of bacteria per cuo.c
nettes. sterile glass Petri dishes, Dol
Ties containing 80 &C. OF Sterlie water
tube containing &C. OF sterIe "dteI'
and sterile culture media IN IuDSs-
bottle
thoroughly shaken and &C. OF tne
milk measured with a sterile plpette'
is added TO a bottle containing 9S &C.
of sterile water. thus making a one
to one hundred dilution. In the same
way / &C. of milk is added 10 &C.
of water. making a one to ten olIu-
ton: and 1 &C. of this dilut1on Is aoo-
ed to 80 &C. of water, making one
to one thousand dIlutlon- FOR eaG =:
operation a fresh, sterile pipette IS
used The one to one hundred ana
one to one thousand dllutlons are
..nIated" That is, 1 &C. of the dllu-
ton is placed in scribe Petrl d1Sh
and with it is mixed a tube of sterile
culture medium upon which the bac-
terra grow. This medium IS added II:
a LIQUID state, allowed to sohdlfy ana
incubated at 9S-5 degrees r TOT =
hours Duplicates are made of eacE
diIution for checking At the end or
As hours the number of colonies OF
bacteria on the plate are counted by
the aid of reading glass which mag
nifies five times, ana this number,
multiplied by the dilution will give the
number of bacteria per cubic cent?
meter
The Babcock test is used in deter
mining the amount of milk fat. The
sample of milk is thoroughly mixed
by pouring from one bottle to another
several times and 11.5cc. measured
into a Rabcock test bottle. An equal
amount of sulphuric acid is carefully
mixed with the milk in the test bottle
10 dissolve all solids not fat The mix
turc is then vhirled in a contrifuge
for four minutes at about one thou
sand revolutions per minute. Hot
water is added to bring the liquid to
the base of the neck of the bottle and
the contents are whirled for two min
utes Hot water is again added. bring
ing the liquid almost TO the top of the
neck of the bottle. and the mixture is
again whirIed for two minutes The
column of fat will now be in the neck
of the bottle which is graduated into a
scale which reads directly the per
cent of milk fat in the sample. The
reading is made at 140 degree F.
There is a definite relation between
the fat. specific gravity, and solids
not fat in milk The specific gravity
lactometer, and from the specific
calculated.
To ascertain the acidity of milk a
known quantity of it is titrated against
tenth normal sodium hydroxide and
the acidity calculated on the basis of
Tactic acid.
Require Organization
But something more than a labora-
tory is necessary in keeping a citys
milk supply at high standard Organ
ization, vigilance and tactful CO.
operation between milk dealers,
dsiryInen and the milk inspection de-
partrnent of the city are necessary.
When w. L. Porter, present city COM
missioner of parks and public build
1ngS, who also has Charge of the city'S
sanitation and milk supply, took Of