A cost analysis of encapsulated spray-dried milk fat.
Anhydrous butter oil or cream was encapsulated in all-purpose flour, modified cornstarch, or sucrose and then spray-dried. We estimated the processing cost for a plant designed to produce 57,000 kg/d (125,000 lbs/ d) of encapsulated milk fat powder. Powder with a 50% milk fat content could be produced for about $0.23/kg plus the cost of the butter oil or cream, the encapsulant selected, and the other ingredients. Spray-drying of milk fat improved ease of handling and reduced storage costs.
Manufacturing Changes for Esbilac® Powder Affect Wildlife Rehabilitators
Some wildlife rehabilitators began reporting problems after feeding formula made with Esbilac® milk replacer powder to orphaned wild mammals such as squirrels, raccoons and opossums in 2009. However, other rehabilitators reported that they did not see any unexplained problems during the same time period. Rehabilitators and veterinarians who reported problems worked diligently to identify possible causes and effective treatments. Shortly before problems were reported, PetAg, the manufacturer of Esbilac® powder, had made what they described as a minor change in the manufacturing process. PetAg switched to a singlestep spray-dry process for the Esbilac® powder rather than continue the multi-step process they had used for over 15 years. The result of the supposedly minor manufacturing change was, however, noticed by some wildlife rehabilitators. This report reviews the reported wildlife health problems as well as the subsequent tests of differences between the older and newer Esbilac® powder conducted to determine whether these differences could be a possible cause of the reported issues. Test methodologies are provided, as well as numerous photos and graphs of test results. Test results reveal changes in weight, density, compactibility, and solubility. These changes will likely affect how rehabilitators use the Esbilac® powder with juvenile wild mammals. The authors also offer possible corrective actions for those wildlife rehabilitators who continue to use a singlestep spray-dry milk replacer powder, such as Esbilac®, to make formula for wild mammals. Those using KMR® with wild mammals also may be interested in these issues, tests and corrective actions, since PetAg began producing KMR® with the single-step spray-dry manufacturing method in the summer of 2009. Other milk replacer powders made with a singlestep spray-dry method and fed to wildlife may also benefit from modified preparations. This report is focused on the use of Esbilac® powder with wild mammals, and does not address any potential issues when used with domestic animals, such as dogs and cats. Wildlife rehabilitators caring for orphaned mammals often use pet milk replacement products as the base of formulas for nursing juveniles, even though PetAg considers it to be an ‘off-label use’ of the Esbilac®. Powdered milk replacer products formulated for puppies have proven to be a successful foundation product and have been used by wildlife rehabilitators for many years. Often, extra ingredients are added to this base formula in order to more closely match the composition of the mothers’ milk for the wild animal species rehabilitated in North America, including squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, raccoons, and foxes.
Ethics and the Treatment of the Mentally Ill, Homeless Person: a Perspective on Psychiatry Resident Training
ObjectiveThe authors outline the unique ethical challenges that psychiatry residents face in working with individuals who are homeless and mentally ill. The authors also propose steps to develop effective teaching methods with residents working with these patients.MethodsThe authors reviewed literature relevant to the training of psychiatry residents in ethics and treating individuals who are homeless and mentally ill.ResultsThe authors summarize current literature and, with the use of case examples, provide guidelines for effective teaching.ConclusionsTeaching psychiatry residents who are working in the community with individuals who are mentally ill and homeless needs to address a number of unique ethical conflicts that arise in this area. The authors outline approaches to this teaching.