MR KINSELLA'S PAPER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2414, 14 June 1900, Page 4

MR KINSELLA'S PAPER.

During .the recent winter show of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral | Association Mr J. A. Kinsella, sue- ' cessor to Mr Ruddick as dairy com- ' missioner for the colony, read an in- J structive paper for the benefit of dairy- J men. The paper dealt with the appli- ' cation of starters to butter and cheese- ' making. As is now well-known, all organic changes, whether forms of fermen- j tation or putrefaction, are caused by the ' übiquitous microbe. Of microbes their I varieties are legion, and the work of the j scientist is to separate the evil from the \ good, —the baneful from tlie beneficial, ' —and apply the latter to his own use. ' All the processes of the dairy are due to J the influence of certain bacilli, and the ' most important of all is that whose special function is the production of lactic acid. The separation and cultivation of this bacillus in a suitable plasma con- [ stitutes the business of preparing what '. is called " pure cultures" for the dairy. By sterilising the new milk for a time — which is usually accomplished by heating up to a temperature of 212degFah. — and adding pure cultures to it, the J finest flavour in the butter or cheese j subsequently produced is obtained. By eliminating baneful microbes, and add- [ ing beneficial, the latter get the start and control the ripening process. But in. practice it has been found that a ' simpler method of applying a starter to new milk for clieese-making is available. ' A quantity of the best milk is allowed , to ripen under natural conditions, and if the lactic acid germs are in the ascen- \ i dant, these control the organic changes ( in the milk. A quantity of this milk is ( used as a starter, and the most satisfac- j tory results obtained. The modus oper- j j andi, Mr Kinsella briefly details as fol- , lows: —"From twe to six quarts of morning's milk was selected from a •' supply sent in by a werson who was care-

ful about the milking and the care and aeration of the milk. . It was heated to 212deg Fall., and maintained at that point for 15 niiimtes, after which, -while exposed to the pure air of a sweet-smell-ing butter room, it was cooled to a temperature of 60deg — by passing from one vessel to another, or by passing it over a cooler several times. It was then put in one or two sterilised glass bottles with air-tight glass stoppers, and held at a temperature of 60deg until coagulated and found to have a pure lactic acid flavour." Milk treated in that way, he said, required two or three .days to coagulate. This milk, Mr Kinsella found to give the besb results when employed as a starter. Many factories, however, simply allow a can of good milk .to sour or ripen in the ordinary J way by leaving the milk standing in the can. The results from using this kind of s barter have not been wholly satisfactory. A starter prepared by partially sterilising, or pasteurising the milk, and adding a quantity of the culture prepared by more complete sterilising, as outlined above, Mr Kinsella said, eoulclj be kept at a temperature of 40dcg for | 15 clays without depreciation; but the starter has to be carefully examined before using,* and the slightest defect in flavour is the signal foivthe preparation of a fresh lot. In practice, Mr Kinsella during summer found from 1 to 2J per cent, sufficient starter to add to the cream for butter-making. To sum up the question, Mr Kinsella said, '• The application of cultures and fermentation starters to butter and cheesemaking is a matter of vital importance to our dairying industry in this colony at the present time, and I would urge on every factory manager the importance of taking \tp this ripening process at the very earliest possible date, and to have it carefully, thoroughly, and scientifically carried out the whole year round." Mr Kinsella detailed the process, and indicated how the cream should be manipulated in order to produce the best, results. A great many of the defects m cheese and butter, l^said, were due to carelessness, so that the remedy lies within reach of the factory manager in most cases. With regard to the benefits of employing a starter, Mr Bacon said it came under his knowledge during the past season that a factory which could hardly reach first grade had, after the adoption of the system Mr Kinsella recommended, attained 90 points and over, while Mr James Sawers said that in several cases that came under his notice a difference of four or five points in flavour had been secured by the use of a starter. This being so, it ought to be the duty of every factory manager in the colony to bring his methods up to date, instead of continuing to go on in the old way.