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256
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
The nature and
•xtent of the
adulteration
reported.
Of the formal samples, case Xo. 459 (Separated Milk) with
28 per cent. extraneous water, supplied the worst
instance, followed closely by case No. 368, with
25 per cent. extraneous water. The greatest deficiency in milk
fat occurred in the case of Formal sample No. 170, where it amounted
to 71 per cent. whilst Formal sample No. 399 and Informal sample
No. 71 ranked next with 49 per cent. and 40 per cent. respectively.
Of the creams purchased as fresh, one sample (formal sample
No. 152) was found to contain no less than 98 grains of crystallised
boric acid per pint, an excessive amount ; the remaining samples,
in which a boron preservative was present, contained this preservative
in amounts less than 35 grains per pint (equivalent to 0.5 per
cent.), with the exception of Formal sample No. 131 where the
limit was slightly exceeded, namely, with 38.5 grains per pint.
Of the creams sold as " preserved," in one instance only was
the proportion of boron preservative found to exceed 35 grains
of crystallised boric acid per pint, namely, in Informal sample
No. 192, where 39.2 grains were recorded.
The details of all adulterated samples grouped under this
heading are given in Table C.
The presence
of preservatives.
All milks were systematically examined for the presence of
preservatives, but in six instances only were positive
results obtained, four being found to contain small
amounts of a boron preservative, and two a formalin preservative.
Of these two, one contained the preservative " Mystin," a mixture
of formaldehyde and sodium nitrite, and in both instances the
preservative had been added in amounts much greater than is
usually the case.