The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-02
'PASTEUR|zATION
MAKES MILK
SAFER
Declares Bulletin Issued by The
United States Department
OF Agriculture.

WASHINGTON. D. c.. April L.
mat there is no valid objection to
pasteurization when properly per-
formed and that the process makes
sa1er even the most carefully
handled and inspected milk, is the
conclusion OF new professional pa
per OF the department of agriculture,
IN which are set forth the most recent
conclusions OF scientists in regard to
tnis mat, 1t seerne probahIo, says
ms per, thatIrlthin IL next two
yeale' large proportion OF the milk
supply in the large cities will be
pasteurtzed. There is already a
marked tendency in this direction.
ABOUT ten years ago only about FIVE
per cent Of the milk supply of New
YORK was pasteurized. In 1914
Lightweight per cent was treated
IN this way. At the present time
eighty per cent of the milk supply of
Boston Is pasteurized, and there are
corresponding increases in MANY of
the smaller cities.
Practiced In Secret.
Before the value OF pasteurization
as hygienfc measure was as we'll
recognized as it is today, 1t was
practiced In secret by number Of
MIX dealers as means OF preserving
MIX and preventing 1t from souring.
lts commercial value in this respect Is
undoubtedly great, but its chief func-
ton is the destruction of disease pro-
ducing organisms. Proper pasteur-
izatton should destroy about ninety
per cent OF ALL the bacteria in the
milk, although when the bacteria
count OF the raw milk is low the pro.
auction may be somewhat smaller.
The efficiency of the process, It is
pointed out, can not be based on the
per cent, but rather in the character
OF the bacteria destroyed.
The kinds Of bacteria that remain
alive after pasteurization depend on
the temperature to which the milk
Is heated and the species of bacteria
which are in the milk. These pro-
cesses OF pasteurization, known re-
spectively as the flash process, the
holder process, and pasteurizotion in
the bottle, are now practiced In this
country. In the flash process the
milk is raised quickly to a tenn
perature of about 100 degrees F. or
more, held there for from thirty sec
onds to minute, and then cooled
quickly. In the holder process the
milk Is heated to a temperature of
from 140 degrees to $50 degrees F.
and held there for half an hour.
When pasteuriZation in bottles is
practiced. the raw milk is put into
bottles with water tight seal caps,
which are immersed in hot water and
held for from twenty to thirty min
uttes at a temperature of las de-
grees F. In this way the pasteurized
milk Is not subjected to any danger Of
reinfection. On the other hand, the
seal caps must be absolutely tight
and this involves increased cost. In
general, 1t may be said that the holder
process is coming into greater favor
than either Of the others. This pro-
cess permits Of the use Of
Lower Temperatures
which, for various reasons, is highly
desirable. Another method of past
eurization, or rather modification of
the present holder process, suggested
by the department investigators, is
that OF bottling hot pasteurized
milk. The process consists of pas
teurizing milk by the holder process
at 145 degrees F. for thirty minutes,
then bottling 1t while hot in hot
bottles steamed for two minutes i'm
mediately before filling. After fill
ing, the bottles are capped and may
ge cooled by any of the systems in
which the caps are protected. The
bottles are sprayed with water or
cooled by forced air circulation.
When milk is held at 145 degrees F.
for thirty minutes, all the disease
producing bacteria, so far as can be
ascertained, are completely de-
stroyed. At the same time larger
percentage OF the bacteria that cause
milk to sour and smaller percent
age Of those that cause it to rot are
left than when higher temperature
Is. employed. Pasteurized at low
temperature. milk undergoes no
change which affects its nutritive
value or its digestibility. Subsection
to. a temperature of $50 degrees F. or
more, however, does result in certain
chemical changes. Finally. pasteur-
ization at low temperature is more
economical because the expense of
heating and cooling is less.
Performed Improperly.
This, Of course, does not mean
that insufficient pasteurization should
ever be tolerated. AS a matter of
fact, the process of pasteurization is
frequently performed improperly. Fol
the holder process, 140 degrees F. is
the point at which investigations
have shown that disease producing
bacteria are killed, but in practice
tits advisable to use temperature
several degrees above this minimum
Of safety. When the fash process is
used, investigation has shown that
very many dealers fail to heat the
milk to sufficiently high tenn
perature. This appears to be an
other argument for the use OF the
holder process, although conditions
in this respect are said to have been
improved greatly in recent years.
Another common defect in the pro-
cess Of pasteurization Is carelessness
in the handling of the milk after II
has been treated. AS has been said
already, this is one reason why pas
teurization in bottles Is advocated.
One false step in handling the milk
after 1t has been pasteurized will
undo all the good effects Of the pro-
cess. The milk should be cooled as
rapidly as possible to about 40 de.
grees F. and kept at that temperature
until delivered. II this Is done, there
IS. only slight bacterial increase cur.
ing the first twenty-rour hours. II