A positive 80% alcohol test was not obtained in sterilized milks containing fewer than 105 bacteria/ml with Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis and B. cereus, and usually did not occur until the stationary phase of growth had been maintained for some days. A positive alcohol test with less than 105 bacteria/ml was associated with the lower maximum population density of B. brevis and B. circulans 152.

The alcohol test after 24 h at 37°C was found unreliable as an indicator of the keeping quality of sterilized milk at 22°C. The possibility of using the alcohol test after 3 days at 37°C or a bacterial count after the same incubation period is discussed briefly.