BUTTER EXPERIMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1934, Page 33 (Supplement)

BUTTER EXPERIMENTS

IMPROVING THE FLAVOUR SWEET CREAM AN ESSENTIAL. CONTROL OF NEUTRALISATION. A considerable amount of experimental work on butter has been carried out by the Institute during the last four years. The difference in price in Britain between Danish and New Zealand butter has led to many attempts to export from this country a medium-acid, high-flav-oured butter of Danish type. Almost invariably such butter develops fishy and oily flavours on long storage. Repeated experiments, at the Institute have shown that it is impossible to land Danish-type butter in England in a satisfactory condition; and it is evidently safer to adhere to the manufacture of butter with a low acidity. It may still be’ possible to make butter with a fuller flavour without the development of a high degree of acidity, and experiments with this object in view are being carried out at the institute. QUALITY OF CREAM. The main point with regard to butter flavour which has become evident during the experiments, is the very definite advantage to be gained by the use ef sweet cream which requires the addition of little or no neutraliser. Although New Zealand butter manufactured from neutralised cream is already a high-qual-ity product with excellent keeping properties, a sweet-cream butter has just that

extra “brightness” in flavour which appeals to buyers even when- they are accustomed to a Danish butter. This point has been proved beyond s . doubt, and the industry should make every effort to arrange for the daily delivery of a sweet cream this is practicable. NEUTRALISATION. Where a cream with’, a high acid content is unavoidable,, experiments have shown that there is room for . considerable improvement in the technique of neutralisation. The difficulty in the past has been that there was no test available to determine whether the cream and butter was over-neutralised. During the past year a simple test has been devised which will enable butter-makers and graders to check-up the neutralising procedure- by examination of the finished b'uttef. The use of the test should lead to a considerable diminution in the percentage ofj butter which develops “neutraliser” and “soda” flavours. PACKING OF BUTTER. 1 t The methods used for the wrapping and packing of butter have received considerable attention during the. past two years. The surface of the butter is liable to undergo deterioration during transport and storage; and it has been shown that wrappings of parchment paper backed with metal foils will considerably minimise the incidence of such trouble. Efforts are also being made to see whether woods other than white pine can be used for butter-boxes. In the past the use of other woods has given trouble through the development of a ' timbertaint in the butter, Experiments indicate that certain treatments of the timber may eliminate the development of the taint. This is important in-view of the growing scarcity of white pine.