DRIED MILK

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 78, 27 December 1918, Page 8

DRIED MILK

NEW: ZEALAND PROJECTS

I ; CAUTION ADVOCATED

: In an article in the "Journal of Agrisulture" Mr. D. Cuddy, Director of tliß Dairy Division of the New Zealand Department of Agriculture, deals interestingly with the subject of projects for making dried milk.; Ho:says;— ! '"There, are probably few people who ire not prepared to admit the economical Advantage of concentrating foodstuffs in juch a way as to make them free from lecay or deterioration, and easily portable to markets where the more bulky material in its original stato is dim,cult to procure or not available in. the condition or quantity that may be required to-meet the full demand of consumers. Dried milk, or milk powder as it is more frequently termed, may be classified as. bne of these economical foods which is helping to fill a need of people who are ilebarred.from receiving daily delivery ot jood and wholesome nulk in its ordinary form. As yet, however, milk powder is sot extensively used throughout the world as a substitute for milk m liquid form, pi* even to materially take the place ot. condensed milk, which lias proved so ■rreat a boon to the human family. '-"It is well known, however, that powiercd milk in more than one form is. aiuling a ready sale in different countries, .and, as far as can ]>e ascertained, [he demand for it is gradually incieas- ■' With the advent of further imarovements in the preparation ot this iroduct, including its.packing >n suitable containers, it will doubtless come iiore into favour by consumers generally, providing it can be placed on the marcet at a price witlun tho reach of those :o whom it may lie acceptable. , r'fit.is well known that the Great low happily ended, has had a direct inluence on the milk powder industrj. In •he first place the war interfered uitli :he export of the product from_ Continmtal countries to Great Britain, am, lecondly, the .market value has Jee 'orced up to an abnormal degiee, which nav he gathered from advices recently received from the High Coll "} us *! on %,.n°, .W Zealand in London. Quoim.a: tio" 'lrese in 191-1 the price of skuu-nulk. wd'er ranged from .£32 to Mk per. ton, (wording to its method of -loon.after the war broicc out .the. pnee •aimed from iiso to XGO per ion, and m 917 a further rise of =£75 to vfiSO per on look-place, while its presen, value ha. •lsen to dfilGO to .£175. per ton. It w.is fefinto Brito tfttT^l9ls |l,olßcwt.. but. no data were ayailaWe as 0 the proportion*of skim-milk and whole Siilk powder .which this quantil} co - iained. The importation static it» since hat year were not yet aval able. t "The "reatest extension in the prepai aL of milk powder lias taken place in he United States of America, whcie: mi.k owder from skim-imllt commands by t.u he greater attention; and here agai he prices have boon greatly inflated n that country, also m Canada. . A. hown bv official information received ,v the Department from Washingtoni and ittawa the pre-war price m Amenta lor Silk powder was sld per pound, vhile the present price is Wu )>•' sound. In Canada the price before ,he tar for whole' milk powder was. lOd. p>J found and is now 171(1. per pound. In {ho ease of skim-milk {ponding prices were 6d. and 1-d. per [-"lifis, of course, impossible to say at he present iuncture what the fulyhlueof milk powder will be m the Larkets of tlie world when the eiicct of 'he war has subsided. The natural expectation is that there will be. a sabitanial drop, although it is«nabl « £ Suppose that prices may not fall. t pre k-HT rates. The commercial position m [egard to the sale of milk powder nay havo permanently improved by rea-. Son of wider distribution, such is the use of it for Army and Wavy supplies, and the Kreacerj Wand to replace the. scarcity ofthole milk for civilian consnmpticii in ertain narts of the J,ort ien. Ilcini'phero It is generally conceded, liowevei, hat there is much greater scope for ft parket milk powder than is ihe b=e for a powder made from whole nullv h-'milk which lias, been standardised as Uirds its fat content. Ecooenised auihorities all agree that whole-milk powder oes not retain-its keeping quality, owiur b, the butter-fat deteriorating when held , ft ordinary temperatures, whereas.skiinhilk.powder, being free from fat, remains u good condition indefinitely, rhc later' product is exten.-iveiy used by bakers ind confectioner?, and it is now claimed hat snltless. butter may be added iO kim-milk powder, together with the. eoreot amount of water, and the liquid teated in such a way as to prouueea hilk almost equal to ordinary milk.. Yhether such a result may be obtained h coramercinl practice is-open to some loubt, and it is obvious : that allowance ronld have to b" made for any deteriora.ion in tho shitless buttor u=od for (no mrpose, for instance, where it may be leeessary to iw a butter which has been ield in "cool store in order to secure a. egular supply all the year round. For yhile it may lie granted that skim-milk iowder remains in first-class condition mlefmitely, this cannot be said of eitner alted or saltlers butter. '. "Notwithstanding Jill the reports which lave lieen circulattHl m New Zealand rithin the last month-- regarding the iielily-nrofitable nature of lhnnufnclurhß whole-milk or skim-milk powder for ix'port to other countries, it must be ■emembered that - , these assumed profits lave, not been based on the pre-war prions lf..th« products in question, but mainly in prices which have lAen far above what hay be expected if a largo increase in he' numliej- of milk-powder factories takes ilace.in various countries now mannfaciiiring butter and cheese only It is readable: to suppose that if the drying of nilkinoronees the profit to the producers n-.New Zealand the same will apply to !he- producers .elsev.-liere. Therefore the. •stablishment of inimerous drying plants jn a big scale will require a cori-espond-ng extension of the markets, of the proInct so prepared. : "The projiosal to build and equip seve•al large dri n d-milk factories in N;w Zealand, in addition to those already in mention, is probably warranted in view if the information now in nossession of lie dairv companies directly interested. Vt the same tim» it is "f the r.tino=t imjorta.noo t-> p op c i(lev the subject in all ts bearings before launching out on a •eneral adnniion of this branch of dairy'•at., with its attendant heavy outlay on v'iidinw and mnehinerv. as cnmiwed vith the eo=t 0? dairy fac'-on-"- of the orliiary tyn». The nianufnc'ure of dried nil It mar only be on 1 oomnantivelv laree scale, and iu_ a li.strict where them i= o. c unnl.v if milll' from, nnnro-rinrnfolv, c-r-ws vitbin a rr, ' lri 'ofe' of a frrfnrv the treatment of ;liis nni"f.itv «f "'i'k has been snt down ,f il<.n«"din« Ki'ge'" mi the cl-i'S 'mnehinerv i"sfallrd. v er. the 1i ft err" t 'not.bnds n'"-Vtr-vnfl in ,pcs nf chanfin" niilk frniTi its lirMii'i itnfo nn>Tder fore' lm r e '-"en nrot""t"'' yr inventors. . . . ft w>n"f! =n"in ad'- ,: --

iWn to n"*nih further <Ipvol' , >>mpnt.c Im?or° cpoH.ir.ff + n >nilfl PfP T * r ' fr>r> rtur«oiiir» jTtinrn' l * oo r? n r»PT"Tv nv> - «nt market Kp assnml."