BUTTER WITHOUT BORAX.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 175, 18 April 1908, Page 3

BUTTER WITHOUT BORAX.

THE THREATENED PROHIBITION.',^ NEW INTEREST FOll PASTEURISATION; ' .' One wonders if the genial" Dairy; Commissioner, Mr. .Cuddio, is yet aware :of_: the intensity: with which the butter-producing communities vill look to:him to'nclp-them out of the threatening prerwrrativo troubles. , Mr. Cuddle just now probably crossing from Britanj to Canada, and there is 116" doubt ho is aware of . the amount of likelihood' that attaches to tho rumoured intention .'to.'' prohibit the importation, into Britainof-butter containing ' preservatives.-. 1 travels he able', to : gei the .very highcst : opinions and-.'see'the, very: latest processes.} for pre- ■ serving ; butter . without and' his 'report on: tho' point'' may be. cxpected to;afford' interesting' reading' to" our anxious community': Thero■■•is', also on the point of publication a report on the teachings; of tho pasteurisatibn ''tcsts v ;p3cently ' conducted in Avcklandj.'Taranakii'.ahd Wellington. This, if'it-Mmes ~'-will: come at; an ;oppor-' tuno; time, -for pasteurisation appears to be the: only haven v.of* refuge from the' consequences of.\the expected regulation, against preservatives: If our butter industry, can dc maintained only by tho. help of pasteurisation, our factory workers, will, need all the assistance: the-Department .can afford during tho coming recess.. There may'be a great problem, awaiting, discussion by factory directors this winter, against which the old battle of clieese ,'versus butter''will seem insignificant.' ■"" '■ ■ .x'V. 1 ..-'. .'

: -The (rovenimenti Chemist, (Mr. Aston, -is apparently,not without hope on the. matter. In' his report for ,1905 ho said :—"Tho recent refusal of tho- .United .States to admit New Zealand butter because -, it . contained . boric acid demonstrates. the desirability, of regiilating'th'e use of preseiratives here if the good' name which New Zealand butter: at present hears in. the world's' marbats is' to bo. upheld; ' Analyses' should be made from 'time tv.'time. to sco.if the-maximum ; amount of, preservative limits ; of which Bhpuld' ba'at once framed, arid gazetted under Bection 28'(12) of the .Dairy'lndustry fe' oxceeded. •I' am , assured oil/ tho best authority that. "lith' care and cleanliness; in forking,: it-is quite possible to prepare a butter 'for..-European 'markets without' thp use of any presprvative. ' If..this is : so, would' it not be': possible':to create a ncw ' class in the grading./for' the raception: of! those butters JFh'icl^.',rontain^•ho;p^ese^atives? < ~ '.;.■'.. v \- . . ;In 'spite; of.; the;. optimism,, it is not safe-,to conclude that the solution! of; tho trouble; by pasteurising: is going.. to be so;very , easy./.'.-'-i We' know a ■ factory -at / which pa-Sr tciirisation is' already" adopted, yet the butter is. not sent Home without preserv.ative. There is faelingyiii scientific; quarters that pasteurisingwill, m. tho end", .solve" the: difficulty, . but!.'the'..desired end/has; not .yet reached, the; stage r of being a safe, commercial asset.'. '. ■! . v:' -i, '" By ; common consent among'; specialists,' boric acid is as the least injurious of. any preservative that can he used.. It is, however.; already: ai;,forbidden.; ingredient; in the markets; of Germany, United ] States," Belgium, and . perhaps some other. countries: permits the use of,no preservative exoapt boric acid ; (up 'to :2 per cent.) and .common salt;. There.is, bf'Cqurse,;a limit to the amount,,of-'salt, that could be' used .without seriously lessening; themarket rvalue: of,.'thb butter."' New 'Zealand;-butter's that"have. been analysed- usually 'contained, from .3: to ...4 per; cent; l^^no. > i ablo.._pfeservativo,'is';saltpetre;'but this is recognised ;as' an'' actual 1 poison'. ':''','':.' ':' •■"Formalin,". said':a ! clibmist, '."is quite-out of-'the '-qu'estioh/i Tt would-.upset the /system', of-anybody,-especially/a-young child." '.. ?s- ---, V /,"; , A; VICTORIAN VIEW;; ; '. ■ :.:/;'

'Speaking; .of, the - proposal of thelmperial Government to prohibit ;tho use of. presorva- . tive3 ; in butter,-AfritCrowe;rsupsrint briddnt of exports, .in : ';Yictoria,v.'?tat-ed, : that/. if.< the.',pro^' posal-, were,' 'adopted < it' would certainly i.giye ■,the' export' trade in-'-butter/a'checkv- '- Every butter-maker .in Victoria: had at ono. time or another ;condiicted experiments'; in- : Order to satisfy himself as/to the vahio ;of ' boric acid in butter. 'Ho (Mr. Crowe) believod ho -was safe in'; saying' that' 'it had been . found that butter to whichfb' little boric' acid had been addal'kept'bettor at of'six or eight ■Weeks.; It . was superior ■in flavour'to that, which contained no boric acid.:; Ho'estimated that'-the • result of such restriction, would-.-be that-.'butter 'exporters■ wou]d loso; about. £4/ a v ton on their output: :-At -present exporters were allowed to use 0.5; per'cent, of-boric acid. ,The Commission which sat'.in London four years ago rcoommended that that percentage bo allowed: ' •