The Concentrated Water Soluble Fraction of Milk as a Source of Vitamin B

Abstract

Although milk as a source of the vit~.min B complex is not particularly noteworthy, its quota of this accessory food factor is s~f~ciently adequate to warrant the assumption that a concentrate of the water soluble fraction would contain an appreciably greater quantity of this vitamin than is found in the natural m i l k o r i n a n y o f i t s concentrated commercial forms. Such a concentrate has been prepared under commercial and semi-commercial conditions. Briefly, the procedure involves the successive removal from the milk, of the fat or cream by skimming, the casein by heating with a suitable precipitant, the lactalbnmin by coagulating with heat, a considerable proportion of the insoluble calcium phosphate, and by repeated crystallizations, the greater part of the mill sugar. The residual liquor or serum may be concentrated to any desired degree, as for example to a viscous fluid, containing about 40 per cent solids, a thick paste containing 65 to 80 per cent solids, or even to dryness. Since the method of preparation is carried out with the object of utilizing the obtainable water soluble constituents of millr~ minus those minor increments lost by adsorption and occlusion and minus a large part of the lactose, the final serum or liquor contains the so-called soluble nitrogen extractives, the water soluble milk minerals, a certain proportion of milk sugar and the vitamin B of the original fluid milk, concentrated to a high degree. The composition of the dry solids of the water soluble fraction, prepared as described, in comparison with the composition of the dry solids of milk is shown in table 1. The alteration of the mineral balance is shown by comparing the ash constituents of natural milk with those of the water soluble fraction as in table 2.