Squeezing Microbes to Death.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7992, 1 December 1905, Page 2

Squeezing Microbes to Death.

Microbes 'have no'ivst these days ; . new metlkmls of '-attacking then:, aw'. | killing Hum oIT 'are constantly being j invented and frequ-cntly t'lie harmless < ires an.: obliged'to suffer with five guilty. This is what happens incidentally to a proct»ss recently contrived by Professor It. 11. Ilite, ol' the West Virginia Experiment, Station. Hi' trying to destroy bueilli. ■micrococci, anil other varieties of •bacteria by the use of pressure, which if it does not murder t'h'cm outright, 'at h-ast interferes with <lm reproduction and multiplication of their species. When one learns)of 'the number 'of millions of germs that are present in a pint of milk half a do/en hours from the cow one is appalled. Of course Ibej, or at all 'events sonic of them, are responsible for the souring of the. -fiukl. Hut Professor 11 Ho has found that he can prevent—or at least postpone, souring by putting the milk into a receptacle and squeezing it until the- luckless microbes are I terally paralysed. They nviy not die, but. they abandon for the time being their efforts to propagate their, kind.

I lu> pressure required is tremendous, so great, in tact, it hat: lire machines used by I'rofessor I lite in his early experiments invariably flew to pieces At ient^i'h. however. lie, was abb--1(1 devise an apparatus \yh eli did ilie work satisfactorily. The process is too expensive to 'he utilised industrially, but eventually it tnav In-mi far siniplilinl as to enable packers of various perishable products to put up t'heir wares in parcels bearing » guarantee to tin) efiect that tile contents liave been rendered germ free by squeezing. Should t'lvis be practicable il would he a great improvement on methods now adopted which 'depend fur their ellicacy upon heat, cold, or chemicals. The chemicals are liable to 1;S injurious, and cold and"hea't injure l he flavour of many pn;ducls to which tliey 'are applied. Hut pressure is harmless, 'and Professor Ilite thinks tlval it ought lo be specially ipplicable in tile case of fruit juices, which so easily dek-riorate. l!y and ■by. perhaps, we may purchase our lemon juice or strawberry juice in solid, germ-free 'bricks, and chop them up with a hatchet when they are wanted for use.