MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 68

MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

(By Profs, McKay and Larsen, Bulletin No. 76, lowa Agricultural' Experiment Station). Much butter has in the past been criticised by judges on account of its containing too much 1 water, when m reality it showed by chemical analysis only a low percentage of moisture. This is undoubtedly due to improper incorporation of the moisture, as much butter apparently dry contains a high percentage of moisture. It is also a well-known fact that the amount of butter which is made from a given amount of fat varies a great deal at different creameries. ’Some makers are able to produce only llOlbs of butter from lOOlibs of fat, while others are able to produce 1201bs of butter of equal commercial quality from the same amount of fat : that is. some are able to get an overrun of only about 10 per cent., while some others obtain an overrun of 20 per cent. The importance of incorporating the moisture in butter properly, of having control of the conditions which govern overrun. < and of knowing how much moisture the best commercial butter can contain without injury to the quality, can hardly be over-estimated. The object of the investigation reported in the present bulletin was to solve, at least*in a measure, these problems. The experiments which have been carried out are reported in great detail in the bulletin, and we give here only a summary of the chief results: —In order to AYOID “LEAKY” BUTTER - and to incorporate moisture in an apparently dry condition, the experiments have proved satisfactorily that water should be incorporated during the churning or Washing process. If • attempts are made to incorporate moisture during working, it will nearly always appear ‘leaky.” The butter should not appear in small round granules at the time of salting, as the salt tends to- attract to the outside, and dislocate tire minute particles of water ill these granules. When these small granules, their surfaces covered with moisture, are caused to unite, the - moisture will, be caught in crevices or hole] in the larger lumps of butter.. If the butter is of medium firmness the moisture is present in such a form that when the butter is worked- this moisture will ©scape.

This lessens the overrun, and what moisture there is left in these crevioes will cause the butter to appear “leaky.” It is better to stop the chum while these granules are small, then continue the churning in not too cold wash water and not too much of it. This will cause the particles to unite. If the salting ia attempted when the butter is in this shape, and the butter worked immediately, it will retain its proper moisture, and there will be no loose moisture in it causing rather than to over-chum in the buttermilk, as by overcome without decreasing the percentage of moisture. By studying the tables which aie given in the bulletin it is seen what degree of influence each of. the factors previously mentioned have. In this summary it is sufficient to say that temperature, degree of churning, and thickness cf cream are the only conditions which materially influence the moisture content of butter. In fact, if churning is carried to an excess, whether it be in the buttermilk or in the wash water, all other factors are subordinate and , have little or no influence on the moisture content. Low temperature is the chief factor which delays incorporationof moisture on excess of churning; so under all : conditions when temperature of cream and wash water is normal THE PERCENTAGE OF MOISTURE can easily be controlled by different amounts of churning. As stated before, it is (better to control the moisture content of butter by churning in the wash water rather than to over-churn in the buttermilk, as by over-churning in the buttermilk too much curd and milk sugar are incorporated, and this is likely to sour the butter and to give it a dull light colour. If churned a trifle in the wash water it will retain its bright appearance longer and still contain a higher percentage of moisture.. If churned to an excess in the wash water it will also lose its colour. It becomes very pale and dead-appear-ing in a short time if attempts are made to over-ohurn excessively. In a short time a creamery operator can easily learn to control the moisture content of butter by having the temperature of the wash water, or rather the degree of softness of the butter, just right. It is advisable to churn at a medium low temperature, otherwise too much fat is left in the buttermilk. But the- temperature of the wash water can then bo raised a trifle, and any reasonable percentage of moisture can be incorporated. During all these. experiments- \

. THE QUALITY OF BUTTER from each churning was carefully noted, and the maximum amount of moisture which butter. can contain without injury to its commercial quality has already been fixed iby the Government to be 16 per cent. This standard, however, does not mean that more moisture cannot be incorporated without injury to its commercial appearance and value,

but it ia a standard which has been set in justioa to consumers and also to the producers. In this work it has been demonstrated that butter can contain 18 per cent, moisture without having it assume any abnormal appearances and properties. It requires even a good judge to point out butter that contains as much as 20 per cent, moisture, provided it has been incorporated properly. The following CONCLUSIONS of the authors are appended:— (1) Tlio amount of overrun depends upon (a) thoroughness of skimming, (b) completeness of churning, (c) general leaks in creameries, and (d) upon the composition of the butter manufactured. (2) -Churning in a warm room and raising the temperature of the oream and wash water cause the butter to become softer and unite into lumps, in which condition it holds and retains moisture to a greater extent than when the butter is firmer. (3) An increase in the size of granules due to over-churning increases the moisture content gradually and only to a small extent. By churning into lumps, the moisture content of butter is increased greatly. (4) Butter should not be over-cliurn-ed in the buttermilk, as too much curd and milk sugar are incorporated. This cannot readily ’be removed, and in man3' cases it injures the flavour and keeping quality of the butter. (5) The moisture content can be regulated by controlling the temperatures, the amount of wash water, and degree of churning in the wash water. (6) The richer the cream is at the time of churning the more moisture the butter obtained will contain, providing all other conditions are alike. (7) Other conditions being the same, butter from pasteurised cream contains about V; per cent, less moisture than that made from raw cream. (8) The degree of ripeness has very little, if any, influence upon the moisture content. (9) If it were possible to keep all conditions alike, the fulness of churn will have no influence on the moisture percentage. (10) Butter can contain 18 per cent. moisture without any apparent injury to its commercial quality, provided the moisture has been properly incorporated.