Australian Butter Exhibition

Manawatu Times, Volume LII, Issue 3626, 16 June 1927, Page 12

Australian Butter Exhibition

Successful Factory Managers Conference Address by Professor Hunziker Comparison of Grading Figures The thirty-fourth Annual Conference of the Australian Butter and Cheese Factories Managers’ and Secretaries’ Conference and the Combined Butter Exhibition held at Melbourne on May 23-28, is reported as having been an exceptional success. Not only were leading experts and representatives of the industry present from every part of Australia, as well as from Tasmania and New Zealand, but the Conference was specially favoured by the presence of Professor 0. F. Hunziker, one of the world’s foremost dairy chemists and recognised authority on butter manufacture.

Australian Production. In declaring the Conference open, the Minister for Markets and Migration, Hon. T. Paterson, said it was a tribute to the enthusiasm of delegates that they gave up a whole week in trying to improve matters connected with the industry. The Conference was of great importance to the dairying industry. Ho could assure delegates that the Commonwealth Government was keenly interested in those industries which had an export surplus. A few years ago Australia had 65,000 tons of butter for export. This year it was estimated that 40,000 tons would be exported in addition to about 70,000 tons consumed in Australia. Either directly or indirectly there were 700,000 people in the Commonwealth dependent on the butter industry for their living. During the last few years very great strides had been made in the manufacturing side of the industry. Cream grading and the now common practice of pasteurisation had much to do with this improvement. . Credit was also due to the Australian Dairy Council for having adopted one brand —the “ Kangaroo.” The possession of this national brand had done a great deal for the butter on the overseas market. Ho thought it would be a good thing for Australia when nothing below the “ Kangaroo ” standard was manufactured, as too much butter below first grade was being made. The dairymen themselves had to take some of the responsibility* for the amount of second grade butter produced. . For the ten months of the financial year (that was, up to the end of April) 67J per cent, of the butter examined for export had.Aieen of the choicest grade and 17J per cent, first grade, or a total of 85 per cent, of choicest and first grade of all the butter examined for export. . That was a very considerable stride in their aim to send away nothing but the best. Subsiding Herd Testing. 1 Herd testing -was one of the first things to bo done if they were to raise the standard of butter. The Commonwealth Government had offered to subsidise the State Governments to the extent of £IOO for every herd testing association embracing 1000 cows. This was being done on the basis that the States should provide a similar amount. The Government had decided to send an expert butter grader to London, and it was hoped that the official would arrive in time for next season’s shipments. It would be the duty of the grader to report on the condition of butter shipments as they arrived in England, to settle any possible disputes, and to advise manufacturers in Australia how to improve their exports. Australian Grading Figures. Of great interest to our dairy factory managers should be a brief resume of the grading notes for the various classes. In New Zealand entries vary in gradings from, say, 9G down to about 91 points. It is very seldom rfn entry goes below 90 points. In similar classes at the Melbourne Butter Exhibition there were quite a number of gradings such as 88, 85, and even as low as to 84J. While several entries were disqualified on account of excessive moisture; remarks such as “ stale, tallowy,” " stale, fishy,” “oily and greasy” and “very stale offensive flavour and aroma ” appeared frequently. It would appear from this great variations in the grading figures and the many uncomplimentary remarks, particularly as:to flavour, that, in spite of all wo have heard to the contrary, there still exists a great lack of uniformity in the manufacture of Australian butter. There were 85 competitors for the Australian championship class, the winner being Wide Bay, Queensland, with a score of 97 points. 1 Also on exhibition wore two casks of Danish butter and boxes of Argentine (nnsaltcd) and New' Zealand butters; which had been specially imported by the Gippsland and Northern Company. Experts declared that the leading butters from every State in Australia were better than the Danish, and that from the Argentine was generally placed last. The Star Attraction. The star attraction of the Conference was without a doubt the presence of Prof. Hunzikcr, well known to every dairy student in the Southern Hemisphere as the author of several of the finest text-books relating to dairy chemistry and dairy manufacture. In delivering what he called " his message to Australia,” Prof. Hunziker stated that although* their respective countries were separated by many

miles of ocean, America had many of the same problems as Australia. 'There were three fundamental problems, and the first- of. these rwas the volume of the cream necessary to make good butter economically. They had very diverse conditions in America in obtaining cream in volume and quality as there, was keen competition between the factories. In Australia where competition was not so keen it was easier to regulate the position so as to make the farmer give better cream. The second big problem was to make the best possible butter from the cream. The third related to the establishment of permanent and profitable markets for the butter. / ' Problem of Marketing/ Apart from consumption, the market depended largely on the quality of the butter and that in turn on the quality of the cream and the process of manufacture,' continued the Professor. The problem of marketing was not so difficult in U.'S.A. because with a population of 130,000,000 there was an immense home consumption, which was able to absorb one and one-third billion pounds of butter each year. In Australia- with its population of less than 7,000,000 production exceeded the demand ,and so there was a large surplus for the export market. A knowledge of the composition of milk and cream and butter, and their reaction in process of manufacture was becoming more and mor;e necessary if they wore to manufacture an article that, would suit the consumer. Butter making was no longer a simple operation. It was thus necessary to ensure that their directions were put into effect with precision. Research represented about 10 per cent, of their problem and the putting into effect of the knowledge so gained about 90 per cent. Supervision was the only hope to see that the work -in the factory was done accurately and dependably. Just as long as the human element or factor was involved in tile process of butter making there would be slips. The need for strict supervision was, therefore, apparent. The controlling of the acidity of the cream at churning time was an Important factor. They.must have the acid right if they wanted their butler to keep. High acid cream could not be churned with, safety, because it would produce “ fishy ” butter. It was necessary if they were going to make good butter to see that they looked-upon the whole problem from farmer to consumer with permanency. Apart from giving the farmer the highest possible price for his cream they should give him the best advice and service. With their conditions of tremendous competition it was necessary to pay a premium for the best cream and to penalise the poorer quality. It was nepossary to convince the consumer of the' superiority of their article and of its value as a food. Concluding, he emphasised that the development of the industry to a prosperous future, depended on farming It —not mining it. They should not take everything out of the industry without returning service to the farmer and the consumer. They must be prepared to accept the ‘responsibilities of a great industry. (Cheers.) Technical Questions. Answerings a number of questions at a later stage, Prof. Hunzitcr said pasteurisation would not prevent fishiness such as rancidity or putrefaction in butter, though it would rectify many off flavours. It had to be remembered that in milk a difficult fluid was being sterilised, and ho did not think temperatures of 140 deg. for-30 minutes or 150 deg. for 15 minutes were efficient. More extreme temperatures were necessary to ensure germ-killing efficiency. Long pipe lines were awfully dangerous, Und a better system was to have short lengths, which could be dismantled at night, brushed out and soaked in hot water.. It was essential to have absolutely pure water for washing both the vat-and the butter. The churn was the most difficult piece of equipment to prevent recontamination. There were chemical disinfectants on the market, but they would-break the finances of most companies. Boiling water was found to be the most efficient steriliser. It was not desirable to neutralise the acid content of butter below 0.25 per cent., otherwise a fiat butter would be produced. It was not wise to get above 3-10 per cent, acidity at churning time, otherwise a fishy, butter might result. The curd content depended on the quality of the cream. Bad flavours in a bad cream were usually associated with the curd. This hould be washed as much as possible, should be washed as much as possible any more than necessary to prevent milky brine. ,(Applausc.>.