A pilot plant for the removal of cationic fission products from milk. III. Nutritional evaluation of the product

Abstract

SummaryAs previously described, the process consists essentially of the passage of milk at pH 5·2–5·3 through an ion exchange resin charged with a suitable mixture of the ions of Ca, K, Na and Mg.The nutritive quality of plant-treated milk was assessed in feeding experiments with weanling rats and 1- to 2-day-old piglets.No deleterious effect was found with rats, but tests with piglets indicated that the nutritive quality of the milk was impaired as evidenced by a higher mortality.Post mortem examinations revealed no specific cause of death.The use of hydrochloric acid instead of citric acid resulted in a lower mortality, though not as low as that found in piglets receiving untreated milk.The difference in mortality between animals receiving treated and untreated milk was not consistent and was not found in some experiments.It is concluded that the milk is unsuitable for piglets and that its suitability for human infants remains in question.