Effects of Lipolytic Activity and of Mercuric Chloride on the Babcock Test for Fat in Composite Milk Samples

Numerous references in the literature show that the Babcock butterfat test of milk composited over a period of days and preserved with mercuric chloride commonly yields results which are lower than the average of the tests of the fresh aliquot portions. The degree of the fat reduction varies with temperature during holding, length of the holding period, alnount of mercuric chloride used for preserving, and other factors