The objective of this  research was basically to place samples of fresh milk inside pyramidal structures and to compare their condition with a control milk sample kept outside. The following five types of pyramids were chosen for the experiments-a plywood rectangular pyramid (PWR) with a square base of length 171 mm and height 152 mm: a plywood pyramid (PWP) with a square base of 241 mm and height 152 mm: a fiberglass pyramid (FGP1) with a square base of 241 mm and height of 152 mm: a fiberglass pyramid (FGP2) of square base 273 mm and height of 178 mm and a fiberglass octagonal pyramid (FGO) with an octagonal base of length 114 mm and height 190 mm. Line drawings of these pyramids with plan and elevation views are shown in Fig. 1.
The reason for selecting the above shapes and sizes was to enable the comparative study with respect to the material used, the configuration of the base as well as the shape itself. The space volumes of PWR, PWP and FGP1 were the same i.e. 0.0045 cm, whereas those of FGP2 and FGO were slightly more i.e. 0.0075 cm and 0.0056 cm, respectively.
The experiments were conducted on fresh cow’s milk. The milk was procured from the diary-farm attached to the campus where the experiments were done. Fresh unboiled milk was used, the same sample being used in the pyramids and as control.
Each of the five pyramids was kept in an individual room, the sixth room being used as control. All rooms were identical in size, measuring 1.2 m´2.2 m. Before the start of each trial, all six rooms were fumigated to remove any airborne organisms. The fumigation was done by placing 4 gm of potassium permanganate in a petridish and adding 1 ml of formaldehyde solution. To make the fumigation more effective, all the doors and windows were kept closed for 24 hrs before the start of the experiment.
The pyramids were placed in the rooms with one of the sides being oriented in the magnetic North-South direction. The milk samples, all measuring 50 ml, were kept in plastic beakers on the floor of the pyramids, exactly below the apex. Before the start of the experiment, lactometer readings of the milk samples were determined to ascertain the fat content.
The duration of the  experiment was 7 days. The following data were collected everyday from the samples from all the six rooms: pH value, odour, colour, state of the sample (whether curdled or not) and microorganism count. The volume and fat content were measured on the first and the last day.

Microorganism count was determined by following standard procedures7. Two representative fields of the same sample were prepared on glass slides, by spreading one drop evenly on the glass surface. The surface was dried and the sample fixed to the surface by passing the slide over a flame with light heat. The slides were dipped in xylene to remove the fat content and then washed with alcohol. Methylene blue was used for staining. The slide was then washed with distilled water to remove any excess of methylene blue. The counting of microorganisms was done on a field of 1 sq mm. The experiments consisted of three independent trials, each lasting seven days, to generate enough data to make statistical analysis meaningful.