BUTTER-MAKING EXPERIMENTS

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 51

BUTTER-MAKING EXPERIMENTS

In April of last, year the Dairy Commissioner carried out a number of experiments at the Waverley Dairy Factory with the object of assertaining the effect of using a starter as against selfripening, non-pasteurised against pasteurised and sweet cream against ripened cream. The result proved conclusively that the butter made from cream ripened by means of a starter was far superior to that which was self-ripened, and that the pasteurised cream made a very much finer butter than the nonpast eurised. In each case the cream was thoroughly mixed and equally divided. Each lot was treated and handled in exactly the same manner, strict attention of course being paid to temperatures. Following are details of the experiments: Experiment No. 1. Sweet (XTnripened) Cream, Non-pasteurised versus Pasteurised. Nonpasteurised. Pasteurised. At end of 1 mouth scored 91 points 91 points At end of 3 months scored ... ... 831 points 90 points At end of 6 months scored ... ... 851 points 881 points Experiment No. 2.—Ripened Cream, Nonpasteurised versus Pasteurised. Nonpasteurised. Pasteurised. At end of 1 month scored ... .... 941 points 941 points At end of 3 months scored ... ... 92 points 93 points At end of 6 months scored 33 points 911 points Experiment No. 3.—Ripened Cream, Nonpasteurised versus Pasteurised. Nonpasteurised. Pasteurised. Afc end of 1 month scored 96 points 96 points At end of 3 months . scored 931 points 95 points At end of 6 mom hs month ... ... 891 points *93 points Experiment No. 4.—Self-ripening versus Starter. Ripened Self-ripened, with Starter. At end of 1 month scored 891 points 92 points At end of 3 months Rrorerl ... 861 points 90 points At end of 8 months ' , , scored 841 points 881pomts

The general method of manufacture was as follows: —When the cream was delivered from the separator the equally divided lots were (after one - half had been pasteurised to 185 deg in Nos. 1, 2 and 3) cooled to 65 deg. by passing over a cooler, then plaoed in twin creamvats and gradually chilled to 50 deg. The cream was held overnight, churned at 50 deg, and washed with water at 45 deg. The butter was salted in granular form, 4 per cent, of salt being used. In the case of Nos. 2 and 3, 6 per cent, of pure-flavoured, home-prepared starter was added to the cream, the culture from which the starter was prepared being a clean-flavoured sample of whole milk sterilised. The cream was ripened at 65 deg until it showed signs of acid, when it- was gradually chilled to 50 deg and held until the proper stage of acidity was reached. It was then treated in the same manner as all the other lots. In No. 4 experiment, 5 per cent, of starter was added to one-half of the cream. The other half was allowed to ripen without a starter. Both lots were ripened at 65 deg, and afterwards treated in the method followed with all. The several lots of butter were frozen, and stored at- 25 deg. Examinations were made by experts at one, three and six months from-elate of manufacture, the final judging being performed by the Government Graders gathered in conference. At the time of manufacture there was practically no difference in the flavour and quality of the lots under comparison. After storage, however, it will be seen by the scoring,— (1.) That the ripened cream produced a better keeping article of butter than the sweet or unripened cream. (2.) That the pasteurised cream scored decisively over the non-pasteurised. (3.) That the butter made from the cream properly ripened .with a starter had a superior flavour and showed better keeping quality than that from the selfripened cream-