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55
REPORT OF THE PUBLIC ANALYST. 1910.
During the year 1910. the considerable number of 1.068 samples were
analysed under the Act; of these 78 were adulterated.
Dairy Produce.
Milk.— In all districts by far the majority of adulterated samples are those
of dairy produce.
This is partly due to the ease with which milk may be tampered with. and
partly to the number of persons of small means who sell milk. many of them
literally living from hand to mouth. and therefore more likely to succumb to
temptation than a big firm with large pecuniary interests at stake; of 523
samples of milk. 50 were either diluted with water. or skimmed. or both. The
vendors were nearly all prosecuted and fined varying sums. the biggest fine
being one of £25 inflicted on a vendor who sold milk deficient in milk fat to the
extent of 13 per cent. and diluted with more than 10 per cent. of water. A
great deal of London milk still continues to be slightly coloured with an artificial
dye. but preservatives of any kind are now quite rare.
It is interesting to record the average composition of the St. Marylebone milk
analysed in the laboratory during 1910. To do this the adulterated samples.
as well as those which were at the time sour must be excluded.
Four hundred and fifty.one samples out of the 523 gave an average as
follows :—
Sp. Gravity 1.031; Milk fat. 3.63 per cent.; Solids not fat. 8 65 per cent.;
Total Solids. i2.28 per cent. The mixed milk of the large dairy companies show
as a rule higher numbers than these. viz.. about 37 per cent. Milk fat;
8.9 per cent. Solids not fat; 12.6 per cent. Total Solids.
Hence the conclusion is that the ordinary commercial milk is poorer than
it should be; in other words much of it has been watered down so as to approach
the low legal standard of 3 per cent. of Fat. 8 5 per cent. Solids not fat and
11.5 per cent. Total Solids.
Butter.— Two hundred and fifteen samples of butter were submitted and 15
of these were either margarines or mixtures of butter and margarine. The
majority of the butters contained boric acid but the amount was under 35 grains
per lb.
Cream.—Most of the cream sold in the Metropolis contains a small quantity
of boric acid. All the samples (16 in number) were genuine.