FISHINESS IN BUTTER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7848, 10 July 1911, Page 2

FISHINESS IN BUTTER

A CHEMIST’S OPINION. Mr B. Anderson-Eacourt, a fellow of the Institute of ■Chemists, and a Public Anaivst, has written from Wanganui to the *.New iioaJahd .Dairyman''' claiming that fishiness in butter is duo to tho sail, lie says: ‘*The insult of my investigar lion loads mo to believe that the firmness appears in the salted butter and not in tno unsal'ied. This caused me to carefully examine the salt. 1 find that the salt is sold to the factories in bags; each bag contains a white cotton bag; these white cotton 'bags. 1 find, are heavily sized. From my expert knowledge of sizing I am able to say that generally the fcize will bo conijx>sed of farina, china clay, tallow, zinc chloride, magnesium chloride, and tliat cotton goods may contain 50 per cent, of size. The farina is generally particularly fermented before use. In my x>roiessional work. I have been engaged in many investigations in reference to the cause of mildew and other damage to cotton goods. In those investigations I have cultivated bacteria' which produce a peculiar odour if allowed to exist on the right medium. Even if the conditions are favourable to the growth of the bacteria, only the salt coming in contact with the cotton bag may be affected. It will also depend upon various factors whether any do-. velopment takes place, although the bacteria may bo -present in the butter. A simple deduction, can be arrived at from 1 my investigation, viz., the necessity of sterilising the salt before use/'