VICTORIAN BUTTER PRESERVATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1798, 22 August 1906, Page 56

VICTORIAN BUTTER PRESERVATION.

Under (lie new Pure Foods Act of (ha Victorian Parliament a Foods Standard Committee has been set up to deal with the various aliments and establish for each a standard of composition consistent with the requirements of public health and safety. One of the first foods to come under review is butter, and already a serious difference of opinion has been found to eylist among the various persons consulted. In order to bring pressure to bear on the a meeting of agents representing various butter companies was held in Melbourne on July 80. The special matter before the meeting was the nature and quality of preservatives which are essential to the maintenance of butter in a sound condition. Dealing with boric acid, the preservative most in favour, the agents were unanimously of opinion that a small percentage of boric acid is absolutely necessary for the proper preservation of butter for consumption in Victoria, as well as for export to the inteu-State and Home markets, and that any regulation prohibiting its use will be detrimental to the interests of produceis, and will be of little or no benefit to the consumers. In a memorandum formulating their views, the agents state that this conclusion was arrived at as the result of practical experience extending over a period of fifteen years. The result, they say, of the placing of a restriction below such a small percentage as 0.5 per cent. (35 grains to the lb) of boric acid would result in a heavy pecuniary loss to the country factories, and interfere seriously with the marketing of butter. Under existing conditions the sales of butter are held in Melbourne bi-weekly—on Wednesday and Friday in each week. Consequently butter churned at country factories on Friday cannot be placed in the Melbourne market till the following Wednesday, and although it is then five days old, it is, with the use of a small percentage of preservative, quite fresh, but without a little boric it would present a somewhat stale appearance. It is pointed out also that, several country factories are so situated that they can send butter to the Melbourne marks*

once a week only, and if they were prohibited from rising a small quantity of preservative they would practically be shut out of the Melbourne market, or be compelled to accept reduced prices. Many country factories possess almost perfect conditions for the supply of milk and cream and for manufacturing purposes,. but they have to cart the butter long distances —from seven to twenty miles—to the nearest railway station. Under the severe conditions which prevail in the summer months, the agents consider that the use of a small quantity of boric acid is absolutely necessary for the preservation of such butter. It is further contended that butter which does not contain preservative will deteriorate quickly after it reaches the consumer, who is likely to suffer greater injury from such deterioration than from the consumption of a lew grains of boric acid. The restriction of the use of preservative below the quantity mentioned (0.5 per cent.) would frequently disorganise the Melbourne maiket by causing agents to dispose of the surplus at a sacrifice. After further discussing the matter the agents requested (1) that butter for sale in Victoria shall contain not more than 0.5 per cent, of boric acid, and (2) that tho use of boric acid in milk and cream supplied to butter factories and creameries be prohibited. On the other side of the question are several of the retail dealers of the city who hold that as tho regulations of the Board of Health will compel dealers to label even tho smallest quantity of butter with a declaration ol the proportion of preservative present, it will be preferable to sell butter which needs no such . labelling. Mr Weatherhead, manager of the Leura Factory at Camper down, writing to the Committee-, says:—“l am of opinion that the us of boron compounds is unnecessary as f:ir as butter for the use of Melbourne is concerned, and, in support of my opinion, I intend to cease using them for our Melbourne trade. In doing this I am on sure ground, as 1 have made hundreds of tons of butter, which has led the Melbourne market for years, without any other preservative than per cent of salt. I also believe that butter can be put on the London market in perfect order without the use of preservative. I would also strongly urge the absolute prohibition of all preservatives in milk. I know that milk suppliers use in a reckless manner boric acid, formalin solution, and bi-carbonate of soda to keep their milk over night, and I a'so know that this i.s quite unnoceosary if they cool their milk and keep their cans clean.” Mr Crowe, in submitting his views for the guidance of the committee, stated that the consumption of butter in Victoria was 10,000 tons per annum, or about 40 per cent, of the present production. The use of boric acid dated back some ten or twelve yeans. The quality of the butter before boric acid was used was often very good, the butter frequently realising the high price -qf 130 s in the Loudon market. At first, with the addition of boric acid in export butter the quality waa enhanced to the extent of 4a per cwt. As the result of boric acid being- allowed in butter for export, it was now tho rule, even for the best produce™, to add it to butter intended lor local consumption. In the early history of the export trade the best butter waa sent away and the inferior qualities kept for local consumption. To-day the average butter sold for local consumption is lower in quality than the average butter sent to the London market. Victoria, Mr Crowe stated, can be supplied with pure fresh butter of good quality. At present a small proportion ol stored butter is chilled at between 41) and 50 deg. Fahr., and will keep for ten or twelve days. He was inclined to say that in butter of the first-class it made little difference whether preservative was used or not so far as keeping quality was concerned, provided the butter were kept at a low temperature. Preservatives such as boric acid were really a prop on which producers leaned for support, and which was only required on account of defective methods and want of cleanliness. His experience was that the worst butter was manufactured and delivered when the conditions were comparatively favourable. Thus, butter from certain districts was worse in September, October and November than in January, February and March. This was owing, to the absence of proper care and cleanliness during the former period of cool weather, the boric acid being relied cn to mask the neglect. He was of opinion that if the use of chemical preservatives were prohibited, in two or three years the producers would become so careful in their methods that they would become independent of boric acid, and would stand on the same footing as they now did with its use. If producers took the necessary care with their milk, cream and butter, it would prove that the butter produced would keep satisfactorily under the most unsatisfactory conditions, such as distance from a railway station, etc. He instanced the case cf the Corryong district factory, which was the furthest from Melbourne and 40 miles from a railway station. The butter produced was of better keeping quality than that of many of the factories nearer Melbourne, and invariably arrived in better condition. In regard to mountainous districts, he instanced the case of the Korumburra factory, supplied by producers whose means of transport were necessarily primitive, but they used care, with the result that their product was of exceptional quality. In conclusion, Mr Crowe expressed the opinion that if a eliding scale reducing the amount of boric acid to be used year by year was introduced, the immediate effect would be that a large proportion of pure butter would come into the market without the prop of the preservative. -Dr Norris in stating that the committee would give consideration to the whole matter at an early date said that one of the many questions is whether butter for local consumption should be considered primarily in relation to butter for export. It was not intended to prohibit the use of boric acid in butter produced for export, at least at this juncture, but it was recognised that a

large proportion of the butter exported from Neiv Zealand contained no preservative other than a small percentage of salt. Again, in France, although the butter exported to England frequently contained boric acid, when it was manufactured for local consumption it is invariably fr.ee from the substance, its use being prohibited. Dr Norris emphasies the value of pasteurisation, and of the use of pure starters, or ferments, in tho manufacture of butter. This is the secret of the quality of Danish butter, which is manufactured without the use of preservatives.