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Babcock centrifuge milk fat tester

In keeping with Hamilton’s undisputed status as New Zealand’s dairy capital, local farmers and industries have long adopted the newest dairy equipment on the market.

Prior to the early 1890s, no standardised method existed for determining the quality of milk being delivered to dairy sheds. 

Dairy operators, having noticed the differing quality of milk in terms of butterfat content, needed a way to compensate farmers fairly and secure a consistent, profitable supply of milk. Such a test arrived in 1890 in the form of the Babcock milk test method, developed in Madison, Wisconsin, by S.M Babcock.

Maker

S.M Babcock

Noo hea
Where

Madison, Wisconsin

Ua
When

1890s

Dive into the details

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Detail 1

Sub 1

The test involved separating milk proteins dissolved in sulfuric acid from milk fats and determining the butterfat percentage contained in the mixture. When spun at 50 degrees Celsius, the fat floated to the top.

With the milk tester came a purpose-built graduated cylinder into which the milk and acid were mixed before spinning.

The amount of fat would usually lie within a three and five percent range and could be determined in a matter of minutes. 

Detail 2

This Babcock milk tester is one of the original models imported into New Zealand for the New Zealand Dairy Association. 

K.A. Mackwell, the public relations officer of the NZ Dairy Co-operative Company, donated the tester to the Museum in 1971.

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