Babcock test

[1][2][3] The bottle and the test were developed by Stephen Babcock in 1890 as a simple but accurate way to detect adulterations practiced by some dairy farmers, including diluting the milk with water or skimming some cream.

[citation needed] Babcock's refusal to patent his process or the device greatly helped its widespread diffusion.

[9] The test is based on the observation that a suitable amount of sulfuric acid added to the milk will dissolve proteins and other components, except the fat.

[1] Specifically, the test consisted of the following steps:[6][7][8] The scale on the neck was calibrated so as to give a direct readout of the percentage of fat in the original sample (assumed to be 17.6 mL), in 0.1 percent increments, without the need for computation.

After thousands of experiments, a modified test, suitable for the purpose, was developed in 1930 by L. K. Crowe at the University of Nebraska.