STARTERS IN BUTTERMAKING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 16

STARTERS IN BUTTERMAKING.

Quality is the main factor in building up a reputation and a market for dairy products (writes W. 11. Cooper in Hoards Dairyman). With no dairy product is this more evident than witli butter. In our largo cities there are always a number of consumers who arc willing to pay an extraprice the year round to secure a steady supply of butter of uniformly high quality. Uniformity of duality of product is even more important than high quality. If the customer once becomes accustomed to a certain flavour in butter, lie will prefer and demand it above all otherSj although it may be of somewhat lower quality than some other brand of butter, which, though higher in quality, is also variable and irregular m quality. Ordinary methods of farm butter-making do not assure uniformity of quality. The quality of the milk and cream is too variable; the results obtained in ripening or souring this cream are therefore uncertain. Control qver the souring process can be secured only through the use of a "starter.” What is a Starter?—

A starter has been defined as a “ selected sour milk.” It is added to-cream much as yeast is added to bread-making, to start and control the fermentation. Without such starter the fermentation may be of the desirable kind if the milk or cream was right to begin with. On the other hand, it may bo undesirable, producing off flavours and odours. The quality of fermentation depends entirely upon the quality of the raw material, and by the time the souring has gone far enough to show its character it is too late to effect any improvement. But by adding some starter some soured milk having the desired kind of bacterial fermentation —we can start the souring of the cream as wo wish, and through it control the character of the fermentation in the cream and the quality of the resulting product. Even if the cream wo have is not of the best quality to begin with, the greater activity of the lactic acid bacteria in the starter will soon overcome the undesirable types and materially improve the quality of the finished product.

How to Prepare a Starter. —

Either a home-made, a natural, or a commercial—a pme-cuHiuc starter —can be used. The difference is largely in the beginning. It is much easier to get the desired kinds of bacteria in a selected commercial starter than to develop them in milk selected under home conditions. To prepare a natural starter, ;u quart fruit jar is washed and well scalded or steamed to sterilise it. A clean, healthy cow is selected and her udder and flanks carefully wiped with a damp cloth to remove dust and loose hairs. Then the milk is drawn directly into the sterilised jar, discarding the first few streams from each teat. The jar, about two-thirds full, is covered and allowed to stand quietly at 70dcg until sour and curdled. As soon as nicely thickened it is rgady for use, and should bo set away in a cold place until needed. Before use it should be carefully examined. A good starter should have a firm body, free from gas bubbles and showing no free whey. After stirring or pouring, it should have a smooth creamy body, free from lumpiness. The flavour should be a eleus.namkrio 1 shrldu cwy memefe bo a clean, sour milk flavour, the same as in a nicely soured cream which wo know will make a good butter. This sour milk constitutes the “ mother starter,” and may bo used direct or to prepare a larger amount of starter. Unless a good, clean mother starter is obtained, it bad bettor be discarded and another trial made. A mother starter can also j be prepared from a commercial “culture.’’ Those cultures come in dry or in liquid form preferably the dry,—and can bo obtained from any dairy supply house. A quart of milk is first pasteurised by placing the bottle in cold water and bringing it to the boiling point. The water and milk are then removed from the heat and let. stand 30 minutes. The hot water is then displaced by cold, and the milk rapidly cooled to 70deg. If a thermometer is used it should always be first sterilised by dipping into boiling water. One should also avoid touching the inside of the milk bottle or jar. As soon as cooled to 70deg. the bottle of commercial culture is emptied into the milk, the cover is placed on the bottle, it is shaken a few times to mix the starter and milk, and then allowed to stand quietly nr 70dcg until curdled. - - Pasteurisation Essential.---To prepare a large amount of starter for cream-iipeirng purposes the milk to be used must bo pasteurised. Skimmed milk is usually best. The milk can bo pasteurised by setting it, in hot water in a pail or milk can and heating. Or the can of milk may he heated directly if necessary. It should bo stirred frequently while heating, and the temperature raised to ISOdeg or 185 deg. It is then allowed to stand for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cooling is best done by setting the can in cold water and stirring often until 70deg is reached. The can should also be covered as much as possible during both heating and coding. For work on a large scale the regular starter cans such as are used in creameries are the most satisfactory. Using the Starter. — If the starter is to bo used in the mnrnj ntr q is best to add the mother starter to the pasteurised milk late In the nrc-ceding afternoon. Enough should he added to nicely “jour and just thicken the milk by the time

it is to be used. This amount will have to bo ascertained by a few trials, but ia usually around 1 per cent. The mother starter should bo well stirred and the needed amount then stirred into the pasteurised milk. This is then covered and let stand quietly until ready for use. It should not be stirred until needed or it will whey off. The amount of starter to add to tho cream will depend upon the rate of ripening desired and the richness of the cream. In general it is better to add a comparatively large amount, 10 per cent, to 30 per cent., and ripen tho cream quickly; then cdol and hold the cream until churning time. A little of the starter can be hold out each .day, and used to propagate the next lot of starter. By cooling to 50deg or lower it can be hold for some time. Points to Remember.— In starter-making the chief points to remember are: 1. Select only clean sweet milk. 2. Pasteurise thoroughly. 3. Add the correct amount of mother starter at the right time. 4. Watch temperatures closely. 5. Avoid over-ripening. 6. Keep all starter utensils extremely clean. By the use of a good starter the buttermaker can secure almost complete control over tho quality of the product, and can readily work up a fancy market for a. uniformly high-grade butter.