Researchers create sour milk alarm

Finally, the days of ruined breakfasts and tossed cups of coffee will be a thing of the past, thanks to work being done by researchers in the US and China. Scientists have discovered a simple chemical reaction that can sense if your 2 percent has lost its charm before you get it home and crack it open. The system works by floating a small widget in the milk which can be scanned at a supermarket checkout by magnet -- the device will vibrate slowly if the liquid has thickened. The same will occur if the potentially harmful bug Staphylococcus aureus -- which can cause food poisoning -- thins the consistency of the milk. Researchers claim that the system will cost less than a penny per carton, and could also be used in fruit juices. This all sounds pretty altruistic, but as soon as you can get this into super-cheap domestic beers, please give us a call.

[Via Switched]

[brian peppers @ Mar 15th 2008 9:30AM]

Fat-Free Milk for the win. I feel like I'm drinking a milkshake with all the chunks in 2%.

[chris @ Mar 15th 2008 10:09AM]

no sour milk for life!!

the chunkyer the better

[BananaBoat @ Mar 16th 2008 5:48AM]

Know what costs zero cents per carton (I only drink glass bottles of milk, but that's beside the point)? SMELLING IT TO SEE IF IT'S BAD.

Oh and whole milk for the win. Whole Chocolate Milk, no HGH, from a local dairy....MmmmmmmmMmmmmmmmmmmm

[badenglishihave @ Mar 16th 2008 1:01PM]

Chunks? What the heck brand of milk are you purchasing? Milk is supposed to have a 'thick' consistency because it has fat in it, if that's what you're referring to. That's the way nature produces it in most mammals.

If you take the fat out of milk (i.e. 'skim' or fat-free) it's just calcium water with a bit of white food coloring. I drink 1% myself because it's healthy but I think it's a bit silly to pick fat-free because the other stuff is "chunky" =)

[pscs @ Mar 16th 2008 3:54PM]

I prefer full cream milk. can't drink milk tasting like water.

[Tyler @ Mar 15th 2008 10:01AM]

I think someone had invented a sour milk detector on a Nickelodeon show about a decade ago... the show with the "blankity blank blank" stuff.

[Keith @ Mar 16th 2008 1:38AM]

The show was "Figure It Out," hosted by Summer Sanders.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 15th 2008 10:20AM]

First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to Bush for allowing gasoline prices to skyrocket - which has caused the price of ethanol (the fuel used in most American farm industry) to rise - which in turn has allowed the price of milk here in NY to reach $4.00

Secondly, sour milk isn't all bad. Teach your wives and girlfriends to make corn bread out of it and you'll have the best addition to a beef/ turkey/ chili or meatloaf dinner you've ever had.

As for the milk sour warning - I'm suprised they haven't developed a small chemical strip that indicates the quality of the milk by changing color. They could put the strip in the jug and you could visually check it before buying or while its in the fridge.

I supposse the strip would detect ammonia or trace chemicals released by breeding bacteria. In fact, The CAP on top of the jug might be converted into something like this.

Maybe I should apply for a patent.

[wunch @ Mar 15th 2008 10:35AM]

I would think it would be fairly easy to test the sourness based on pH. Fresh milk has a pH of around 6 and sour milk has a pH of around 4. (the lower pH causes the proteins to precipitate, which is why it gets chunky) Some variation on pH paper would probably do the trick.

[Jacob @ Mar 15th 2008 1:13PM]

or take that sour milk and make some awesome rice pudding...

oh yeah, 2% milk sucks, whole milk FTW!!! (and bonus points if it comes in a glass jug with the cream on top! (ie Straus Family Creamery))

[Andrew Wieland @ Mar 15th 2008 1:16PM]

You must be from New York; you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

1.) "ethanol (the fuel used in most American farm industry)"

Ethanol (pure ethyl alcohol) is not the fuel most used in the American farm industry; that would be diesel. In rare circumstances bio-diesel is used as a substitute, but ethanol is not used in big machinery.

2.) "which in turn has allowed the price of milk here in NY to reach $4.00"

The increase in cost of ethanol has not caused the price of milk to rise, but the two events are related. Ethanol in the U.S. is made (very inefficiently) from corn. Because making ethanol from corn is so inefficient, the process is subsidized out the ass by the government. Corn prices are now at an all time high (because of the increase in demand), and it just happens to be a primary livestock feed. Now with more and more farmers growing corn to reach the demand, there are shortages of everything else => All of the commodity prices are going through the roof, and farmers are making record profits. The increased cost of milk is due to the higher cost of livestock feed and diesel.

If you want to blame the government for something, blame them for subsidizing ethanol. Ethanol doesn't reduce our demand for oil (at best it takes just as much energy in oil to produce it out of corn as it can provide); it's just an excuse to not do anything productive about the energy crisis. Also, ethanol is made productively from sugar cane in South America, but our government prevents any imports.

[dvdivx @ Mar 15th 2008 1:20PM]

If you think Bush controls the price of gas than you're insane or are giving god-like powers to him. Speculators are the biggest driver of the price of oil now just like real estate earlier. Obama won't be able to lower the price of either gas or food either. Only thing that will move the speculators out will be a downwards correction when too many get in on the action.

[mymaclife @ Mar 15th 2008 2:03PM]

@ Flashpoint 'teach your wives and girlfriends to make...' what century were you born in?

I suppose when you only let them out the kitchen when you need them in the bedroom?

[happy_penguin @ Mar 16th 2008 8:25PM]

Good god this guy is unbelievable.

[JiMiBoldAsLove @ Mar 15th 2008 10:41AM]

Revision3 is down. Can anyone else confirm this?

[Big John @ Mar 15th 2008 12:39PM]

Works fine now.

More importantly: Why are you asking *here*?

[marcopolo @ Mar 15th 2008 12:28PM]

revision3 spam. confirmed.

[Big John @ Mar 15th 2008 12:38PM]

Could always peek at the expiration date. I've never bought milk anywhere before the expiration date only to find out it was bad.

[mattydread @ Mar 15th 2008 12:54PM]

But does it mind my eggs?

[kagai @ Mar 15th 2008 2:36PM]

That just seems silly...just don't buy milk that is coming up on the expiration date and return any milk, that you just bought, that is bad when you first open it. I have never purchased soured milk...I always move the milk around to find the furthest date out.

[Wwhat @ Mar 15th 2008 4:00PM]

Agreed, they have a date on it, you don't use 'luck', this invention is great for the 16th century but now a bit pointless.
As for bacteria, it's pasteurized/sterilized so there should not be any bacteria in it.

[mansbarklund @ Mar 15th 2008 3:58PM]

Sorry, but that milk in the picture is in no risk of turning sour, since it's white paint...

[db2 @ Mar 15th 2008 6:30PM]

I'll buy it if it sounds like Bobby Hill.

"There's some milk in the fridge that's about to go bad. ...And there it goes."

[Spiffy @ Mar 15th 2008 9:40PM]

We are the ONLY species that drinks another species milk. This is not a good thing. Educate yourselves and you will understand.

[JCA @ Mar 17th 2008 2:09AM]

We're also the only ones capable of a coherent expression of thoughts through our voice, do wheelies on a motorcycle, systematically consume our planet's resources, use an ice-cream scooper, kill each other for reasons other than needing a meal, etc.

What is your point again?

Oh right, that we need to learn more about the perils of drinking cow's milk.

[Christy @ Mar 18th 2008 11:24AM]

Maybe this has come up before - but if the gadget works by "floating," how do I keep from eating it? How big is this thing? Too big to be poured out I hope. Nothing like a crunchy bowl of granola and widget in the morning.

[John Howard @ Mar 24th 2008 3:49PM]

carton?