Milky Way

Farmers are paid for milk according to its butterfat content. Dairies use a complicated test in which they spike a milk sample with sulphuric acid and then centrifuge the solution three times. The acid and the heat induced by its action break down the heavy non-fat molecules. By centrifuging, the fat globules are forced to the top where they can be measured.

This week Dr. (D. Sc.) Philip Schain, chief of the clinical laboratory at Halloran Veterans Administration Hospital in New York City, told a Milk Industry Foundation convention in Atlantic City about a new and simpler process. Dr. Schain uses a specially prepared solution, containing two detergents. He claims that the detergents quickly dissolve all but the butterfat, which then floats to the top. Farmers may soon be able to check the dairies' fat readings with Schain's test without the danger of corroding their sinks and charring their hands with acid. What's more, says Dr. Schain, the farmer's wife may use the same detergent solution to wash the windows.

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