SAVING THE WASTE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1776, 14 June 1913, Page 19

SAVING THE WASTE.

fr., DAIRY BY-PRODUCTS. BIGGER PROFITS FOR THE FACTORIES. The trend of present-day Industry, whether rural or city, is towards perfection in production, and saving of waste. The work of tho soientist in demonstrating tho numerous directions in which hitherto unprofitable enterprises may bo made to show profit, having been recognised, the result .has been that instead of a large proportion of the valuo of tho raw material being allowed to run to wasto, it is now possiblo, under modern methods, to utilise- every constituent part. By this means, the earning power of the land, whether it bo in minerals or farm produce, is increased to the advantage* of the individual, and' the community. In overy branch of rural activity, whether it be in the production of crops, or in tho manufacture and marketing of produco, increasing caro is being exorcised to conserve and turn into profitable account overy item that has a marketable value. Within recent years tho activ'Hes of tho dairying industry has provided a striking example of what scientific research has accomplished; and already considerable revenue is being derived iioui what were in tho past waste products from the butter and oheeso factories throughout the land. It may bo said with safety that in the course of another decade many of tho hithorto neglected by-pro-ducts of'tne dairy will bo brought into profitable use. • In this connection, mention may be mado of. the work that has already'been undertaken in the manufaoturo of whey butter and casein at tho leading cheeso and butter factories in both islands. Whey Butter. The manufacture of whey -butter commenced in New Zealand threo years ago, when the Dairy Division conducted a short experiment at tho Kaponga Cheese Factory, where it was demonstrated during a three weeks' test, that • the quantity of butter-fat remaining in the whey would show a profit on separation and manufacture at factories where dual cheese and butter-making machinery had previously been installed. _ This esporiment has led other largo dairy companies to tako up tho manufacture of whey butter, and their efforts have been rewarded by a fair measure of success. It has been •shown that for 100 tons of cheeso manufactured it is possible to extract sufficient butter-fat from tho rcsultaut whey to produce two tons of niarketablo butter. It is claimed that tho separation, of but-tor-fat from tho whey does not rob the latter to any appreciable extent of its feeding qualities for calves aud pigs. Even though a slight loss in feeding valuo did result, it is urged that butterfat is too valuable for uso as pig feed, seeing that other fattening and sustaining foods con be bought at a cheaper rato. On the other hand, the revenuo derived from the sale of whey butter has beon found to show a sufficiently large profit over working expenses to pay more than the whole of the wages bill required at one of the largest cheese-making concerns in the Dominion. .

Some difficulty was experienced in securing a first-grade" quality butter from whey during the first year of manufacture, but the cause of the weakness was soon ascertained, and tho Tcmedy provided. The quality in some few cases is still rather below the standard of first-grade creamery , butter, but in the majority of factories the output is high in the grading points. Some objection has been mado by ownors of butter factories to the shipping of inferior whey butter packed under the ordinary creamery brand, and in order effectively to safeguard the interests of regular buttermaking concerns on the Homo markets, the Department docs not permit whey butter to be exported as "creamery," but insists on its being placed on the market as ordinary faotory make. Cassin. The utilisation of the casein in milk in tho industrial world is of comparatively recent development. The industry was first placed on a successful footing in America and Germany, but it is only during the last ten years that it has assumed commercial importance. During the past five years tho. use of oasoin lias increased .by over 100 per cent.; in fact, so rapid has been tho development of tho industry in two principal countries concerned (America and Germany) that neither of them is ablo to produce sufficient for its own requirements; The United States procures its main supplies from the Argentine, while Germany, although producing a yearly- home-made supply, of over 5000 tons,' has to depend upon the Danish product. It is only three years ago since Denmark commenc-. Ed to manufacture casein in earnest, yet at the present time there are over 300 casin factories in that country in active operation.

The uses to which casein is put are said to be extending every year. It is especially in paper manufacture that it has been utilised, as for this purpose it has been found more suitable .than glue. In the manufacture of waterproof paper, casein also plays an important part. In addition it is used for coating paper, for fastening together individual sheets _' of. paper, and for converting paper pulp into a mouldablo condition. The machinery in most of the German paper mills has been altered to suit the new methods, so that only casein can now be used in the process of manufacture. Considerable quantities of acid casein are also used in tho manufacture of paints, or as a glue. Among the various articles that are made from casein are combs, pearls, paper knives, billiard balls, and so on. In appearance casein somewhat Tesembles cellulpid, but is free from odour, and presents no danger from fire. The Uses of Skim-mllk. While the use of casein for manufacturing purposes is expanding in 'America and on the Continent, there is every indication that the uso of skiin-milk as a food product is destined to increase considerably. This fact must havo an important bearing on 'the future market value of casein, and also have, the effect of making tho countries in question more dependent on other dairying countries, such as New Zealand, for further casein supplies. At tho present time Germany is using tho whole of her skim-milk for other purposes than casein, mainly for food products, among which patent-food preparations play an important part. In addition, the amount of skim-milk available for casein-making in Europe is regulated 'by the demand on skim-milk lor tho manufacture of skim-milk cheese. In Denmark alone about fivo hundred million pounds of skim-milk are used annually for the manufacture of cheese, while Holland also employs a very largo quantity for. the same purpose. With tho attractive prices that rule in European markets for skim-milk for cheesemaking, there is a very slight probability that casein manufacturers will get the supplies. Thus it would appear that the industrial world will have to increase their imports of casein every year, as there is every indication that tho uses of casein-for manufacturing purposes will bo of a constantly expanding nature. What New Zealand is Doinn. When overtures were mado to local dairy companies some threo years ago by the promoters of a. casein manufacturing concern for a supply of skim milk, there was considerable controversy as to whether it would pay-dairymen better to use tho skim milk for calf and pig fcod in- its complete stato or whether it would pay better to sell tho casein content at a stated figuro and supply a substitute to the resultant whey that is Available for feeding purposes after the casein has been extracted. As there was no definite information available locally on tho subject, tho Government dispatched Mr. .1. Fedcrseii, ono of tho Department's Dairy instructors, to Europe, to make complete inquiries of the details of manufacture, and also to procure plans and specifications of the machinery and buildings required for establishing the industry. On his return, Mr. Feclersen furnished a comprehensive report to tho authorities, which has since been issued as a bulletin. Last season Mr. I'cdcrsen was invited to address the suppliers of several butter-making factories in Taiunaki, with tho result, that three or four Taranaki companies decided to put in extracting machinery. The raw casein is sont to a central factory at Arataobo,

where it is put through a drying process, and rendered: fit for marketing. It is understood that a largo display of casein in its variouß forma will do made at the show next week, where visitors will have the various processes of mauufacturo fully explained to them by experts. Milk-Sugar. Sugar of milk, or "lactose," as it is sometimes called, is mainly used in the preparation of food for infants, for medicinal purposes, and in the making of pure oultures of lactic acid. It may be montioncd that the making of this product was first developed as an industry in Switzerland, and for some time an export trade was carried on betweon that country and the United Statos. Of recent years, however, this trade has ceased, owing to the establishment of 6ugar-milk factories in America. Inquiries that have been mado go to show that the production of the article in Europe will in the f uturo bo a diminishing quantity. Tho reason assigned for this is the continually increasing demand for iwholG milk and skiin-milk for consumption in the large cities. It is interesting to note in this connection that supplies of milk are now being drawn from Denmark to Berlin, a distance of over four hundred miles. In his report furnished to the DairyDivision, Mr. J. Pedersen remarks that although the present market price for milk-sugar is comparatively high, and is not likely to decrease, it must not bo assumed that there is an unlimited demand foi tho product. For this Teason he would not advise any but a few of tho largest dairy companies in New Zealand to tako up tho business. Cost of Production. The cost of production at a Swedish factory is set down at .£2O per ton. The cost or manufacture is based upon a daily supply of whey of from 2500 to 3000 gallons. Tho whey is valued at about Jd. per gallon. At many New Zealand factories a much larger quantity of whey could bo handled at one place, and therefore tho cost of manufacture hero should not be above this estimate. For example, 8800 tons of whey would produce one ton of milk-sugar worth, say, £i 5. The cost of manufacture would be £20, and the value of whey at Jd. por gallon .£lB 6s. leaving a net profit per day of £G Us. The value of milk-sugar, says Mr. Pedersen, has been put down at .£45 per ton, but this price is rathor low. Tho average price would bo over per ton. The by-products from tho manufacture of milk-sugar, such- as albumen and fertilisers, have not been taken into consideration. Maklno a Beginning. To Messrs. Noil and Finlayson, of Dunedin, belongs the distinction of being tho first firm to make a beginning with the manufacture of milk-sugar in New Zealand. It is proposed to establish works at Kdcndale, in Southland, where largo quantities of whey are available. A company is being formed, aud it is proposed to erect up-to-date, extensive works, utilising tho latest ideas in economic production. The results of the Southland vonturo will be watched with interest by dairymen in other centres. If success follows the initial effort, there is no doubt that the manufacture of milk-sugar will extend to other parts of tho Dominion.