BORIC ACID TESTS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 443, 27 February 1909, Page 3

BORIC ACID TESTS

WHAT AUSTRALIAN TRIALS SHOWED, At the Berry, Central Butter Factory, of .New; South Wales 'on: October 20 last an ; experiment in ! connection with the ■preserva- ; tiro : influenced of. .boric' acid on butter was made and carried'out on exactly similar lines ; to the experiments made on August 28,; 1008, ; and reported, on::page 1033 of the "Agricultural,Gazetto'';ofJ)ecembor last. 'The churning operations and general manufacture were superintended by; Dairy' Instructor 0:: Pedersen. '.All. conditions-were normal, aijd:the cream used : when manufacturing was what is ; generally .known as.first-class, but, had not been.very strictly.'graded. ■• ■V One.hundred pounds of butter were taken' : from■ the .churning.■;, a hd : divided I; into 'three parts, A, B.and C. To'tho'portion marked : A salt at the,rato of 3jpercent. was. added. .To the proportion marked'B salt at the rate ; of 8 percent;, together: with.i per cent! of "'a preservative consisting mainly, of i boric acid, was added. 'To portion 0, salt at:the rate of 3 per cent, and a similar preservative at J per.;cent, were.'added.: ;'AII butters were worked, only once,..and packed in:2Blb.. boxes. The. boxes were 'placed, in the ordinary cool room'pf :the, butter, factory for a couple, of days,. and then: dispatched to Sydney, in - the usual way arid.placed in 'cold store. ;..The temperature of,the room would.rarely exceed 20 degrees .Fahrenheit. ...-- ''-.!; ■ '■..:.•■;' : -r:.y\. First Grading.-. ... -:. :; ': ;, >v- ; ' ./Previous ;toi, placing in cold store the hut-: ter was. examined, and points awarded for flayourjf'mthvthe following,:Tesults:-r- :• ?•.--' ?: : .!v^'feA : 'Mi-'K'-iPtsi' A(without preservative)' ... '-.: ..V. ■';,.: '43 .B .(with., salt" and J' per 'cent, boric acid) 44 .0, (with salt,and',J per cent..boric acid) ■M' On Novemberlb, or. just about four, weeks .after, the'date. of .manufacture,, the-butter was taken out of cold storage and graded, the following; points being allotted to the' different butters for flavour by. Mr. o,'Callaghan':—-;-■■;." ~- .-',: : .-' ''■•,- * ■ " -'--• ;V . ; ' ■-~' '-.-v' ■;■ ■::'■"■;; v.'--. ".-;.•':pts.'A : :(no :preservative), ■ ;.V ' ;•'...'.'-;;■,.';..•■'■.,40 B.'(salt, and-£ ; per cent, boric.acid) ~,';.; 43 C..(salt : 'and i'-per .'cent, boric acid) '...:':'42 ;,At-this.stage, butter A, had'!■ dropped to, practically speaking,., a, second-quality butter m; flavour, according, to the usual-"grading 'standards;-whereas B :had''retained;its keepings qualities-nearly in.full,; and. C had'shown, slight:evidence of'.deterioratibn./,,: //;'.-.-• .

-.'■:',•'■.',/- v ( : '/4' Final Grading. ~ ~ .'■";•;'•-.-' ; On December 12 the butter (about- eight weeks old) was removed from cold store and allowed to stand at.a temperature of 70 de^ .grees Fahrenheit/for ; 4B hours, ..with thefol-: lowing: results: —';; '.- !' * : v---;' : / \>:-- - : ".(01-■■;■;: : -."■■ ■'• ■:...-- -,■('Rs.' (A,(no; preservative) • ....,:.•.•..'.•:. r .;..;,34. •B (salt, and-J: per cent, •boric, acid) ..,'-(.,.(;39. C, (salt arid"! peri cent, bpric.'acid).'..; '.;; .37- ,' (Itlniay,; be('added :that' Messrs: Pedersen, Stoning,'.and Maclnnes .all placed' the(same butter's in the. same order as Mr. O'Callaghan on December 14. - The 'temperature' of the .buttery-had-risen/to6o(degrees Fahrenheit, at' the( , time'ef■ examination,'and no doubt■• decomposition';took; place rapidly during the ; '4B. hours the gutter was put. of oold store. :-'.Still, 5 this testis the. one commonly given to'.but-' being •retailed/].'!;'] ;■■' .:■'';' .' ;; .'■;.-•■• --^-v/--'fCheraical analysis 1 showed that the,-butters contained the .folloivihg percentages of boric acid ;and; water:—'';"••;■ ■':;.'■ : ' '•'•■ -l' ;--';. ;,:•,:■'": "( : ';(v.(" Bbrict'rAcid} 7 '".;'> J .'(( " "'Water. ,; • i ■Vi'V'A :i l oi;i;.„inil^'^;; v f'.l. : -:"^B-t^r;:v:V;jo.2^p i c ; ;,; ; M: (,Jl.ofj;.p:c.r( ; ( ;v ; : -(:/;' 11(13 plo'.li;'"/; -. Baoteriologicalj; examin'atiori, (made:- soon acture,'.showed, ■.'as', was of .bourse 'toybe expected, tnat the three butters(contained." practically',not only the"same species .and varieties, of micro-organisms, , but. ( the, same number of ■ each "variety; that, after .48 hours' 'growth,.,practically..nothing/'.was -in' evidence,but colonies "of .the:.ordinary lactic acid; bacillus.' (Later .. on,;';some;.colonies...of a. small, liqiiofying organism presented them- : selves. :. Plate, representing butter .A showed eight' c.olonies,.-,of,'.this -organism; ,-; plate B. showed .seven colonies;' and . plate'o,'- nine colonies. :"/ ,/"/'l,(('( .(/V -.-; ;.(> '■:-. -" : (.-•-'■. (.;.'■'.'; V .->: The: chemical analysis'ag'amshows',as in the ,prenoTis- i -espenrnrat;:4he7 : ,great''-16ss'' ; vri]iehv takes place, in the' preservative during the! process -of .' the butter—a. loss (apr (Proximately'amounting to one-half of-J what;' -had been.added; but','of course, this may not',; :arid:;doe3,hpt/bccur:;fcp the same extent withall,preservatives:nV;;('!;-;■;■>!■ ;:'';,!-'; ,■,■:/":'-■.;.