Page images
PDF
EPUB

BUTTER

and finishing. The fat exists in the form of small globules in the milk, in suspension. In the setting system the milk was placed in shallow pans about four inches high, or in deep ones of about 18 inches, and advantage was taken of the fact that the fat globules, being lighter than water and other constituents of the milk, would rise to the surface by the force of gravity. Large fat globules will rise more rapidly than small ones, and the size of the globules varies with different breeds of cattle. In the shallow-pan system the milk is set as soon as possible after it is drawn, and the cream is skimmed off in 24 or 36 hours. This system is wasteful in that the skim milk often contains 0.5 to 1.5 per cent of fat. The deep-setting system is less wasteful, the fat in the skim- milk being often reduced to 0.2 per cent. The newdrawn, warm milk is placed in cans surrounded or submerged in water at about 40° F., and the rapid reduction in temperature causes the globules to rise quickly. The cream is removed by dipping it off, or the skim-milk is drawn off from the bottom of the can. The fat left in the skim-milk consists of the small fat globules. The introduction of the separator and use of centrifugal force has resulted in a more perfect and rapid separation. This force exceeds that of gravity a thousand-fold. The system of separation is continuous, a constant, uniform flow of milk being conducted into a bowl or drum revolving at from 5,000 to 9,000 or more revolutions per minute. The inlet tube is in the centre of the bowl and reaches almost to the bottom; here the constituents in the milk separate, the heavier serum gravitating to the circumference of the bowl, the fat-the lightest portion remaining in the centre. These are forced upward by the incoming milk, and the separated milk escapes through a side tube, while the cream passes through a small outlet in the centre. This last outlet can be closed or opened in some machines, thus regulating the percentage of fat in the cream. The machines are of various sizes, from those worked by hand power and doing 200 to 500 pounds of milk per hour, to power machines of 2,000 pounds and over per hour capacity. Some makes have appliances within the bowl to increase the efficiency. A good separator, well run, will not leave more than from 0.05 to 0.1 per cent of fat in the separated milk.

The cream may be churned at once if sweet cream butter is desired, or "ripened" or soured. The aim in ripening is to develop certain flavors in the butter, and a certain degree of acidity which aids in churning and influences the texture. In this latter case cream should be cooled as it leaves the separator; if it is to be churned next day the temperature of cooling should be 65° to 70° F. If the second day, 55° to 60° F.; and if four days or more, 40° F. It should then be held at such temperature that it will reach the desired degree of acidity by the time it is desired to churn. The degree of acidity may be determined by various tests. Ripening may be effected by adding to the cream a "starter" of sour cream, sour milk, buttermilk, or a commercial preparation of the desired organisms or bacteria. In any case only desirable organisms should be permitted in the ripening room, as undesirable ones rapidly affect flavor. In some cases it is considered advisable to pasteurize the milk or cream,

the milk being heated to kill all germs, then the sample may be inoculated with desirable ones. During ripening the cream is usually held constant at a temperature between 60° and 70° F. until ready to churn.

In churning, the fat globules receive such agitation that they unite into masses. This is usually done in a churn (q.v.) and at a temperature ranging from 50° to 65° F. It is wise to churn at as low a temperature as possible, the best results being obtained at such a degree that the particles of fat unite readily, and, when united, form firm granules of butter. Churning should stop when the particles are the size of wheat. The buttermilk may be drawn off and the butter washed; it is then worked, either by hand or by the butter-worker (q.v.), to remove buttermilk, water, etc., salted, and packed as required.

Scrupulous cleanliness and attention to detail, from the feeding of the cows to the placing of the product in the hands of the consumer, are imperative. See CREAMERIES; DAIRYING. The composition of butter varies, but is approximately: Fat, 85 per cent; protein, I per cent; ash (salt), 3 per cent; water, II per cent. The percentage of fat should not fall below 80 per cent, nor the water rise above 15 per cent. The percentage of fat in butter of good quality often rises to 86 or 88 per cent. The water content is the most variable, running up to 25 per cent, and in some cases higher. The fats of butter are glycerides of fatty acids. About 15 per cent of the fats are volatile, and at least in some cases aid in giving flavor and odor. Oleine, palmitine, and myristine are the three leading fats present; the former, being fluid at ordinary temperatures and variable in amount, influences the hardness of the butter. The quality of butter is judged by its flavor, texture, color, amount of salt, and general appearance. Flavor counts about 45 per cent of the points, and varies with the market. Some markets require a mild, delicate butter; for the supply of such the cream is often pasteurized: others require a high flavor, almost verging on rancidity. Whatever is desired, that flavor should be pronounced, with an absence of rancidity or other flavors. Texture carries 25 per cent of the points and depends upon the granular condition of the fats. The more distinctly the granules show up when the butter is broken the better the texture. The right color depends upon the market requirements; usually a bright golden yellow, as naturally yielded when cows are on grass, is considered ideal. It should be uniform. To ensure this, it is sometimes necessary to use some butter-color: formerly the main one used was arnotto; now the coal-tar colors, aniline yellow, and butter yellow, are used, although turmeric, saffron, carrot-juice, or marigold leaves would do. The coloring matter is usually dissolved in some oil, and the preparations are of standard strengths. Some South American countries require the butter to be a deep orange or red color. A small quantity of salt is often added to improve the palatability; it has little influence on the keeping qualities. The amount varies with trade requirements. Unsalted or slightly salted butter is largely used in Europe and the United Kingdom. The finish and packing of the butter should be attractive and neat. The styles are numerous, but attempts are being made to stan

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

ants.

was

Renovated or process butter is generally low-grade butter which has been melted and put through a process to remove the disagreeable odors and taste; sometimes it is then mixed with soured separated or whole milk or cream, and granulated. If the primary article is not too inferior, the resulting product can be sold as good creamery butter; generally its keeping qualities are impaired. In some States and in the United Kingdom all butter so treated must be distinctly branded "Renovated." During the year 1850 the amount of butter made on farms in the United States 313,345,306 pounds. In 1899 that made on farms and in factories was 1,491,871,673 pounds. Over two thirds of the butter is made on the farms, but the factory system is increasing. The average value of that made on farms was 16.7 cents per pound, and that made in creameries and factories 20 cents. The cost of transporting the milk to factories is about 1.5 cents per pound of butter. Denmark is at present the leading butter-exporting country of the world, with a record in 1898 of 160,143,255 pounds, valued at $34,575,634, the average price being the highest on the market.

The coefficient of digestibility of butter-fat is 98 per cent or over. It is well assimilated, and, like other fats, is a source of heat and energy. Its value as a food and methods of usage are well known. Butter containing 82.4 per cent butter-fat has a fuel value per pound of 3,475 calories, and in a number of dietary studies butter furnished 1.9 per cent of the total food, and 19.7 per cent of the total fat of the daily food. Further information is given in Prof. Atwater's reports on dietary studies. Fresh and salt butter are equally valuable. Clarified butter is used in cooking. It is ordinary butter freed from casein and water by heating.

Bibliography.- Fleischmann, 'Book of the Dairy'; Gurler, American Dairying'; Oliver, 'Milk, Cheese, and Butter'; United States Department of Agriculture, 'Butter Making on the Farm'; Farmers' Bulletin No. 57; Wing, 'Milk and Its Products'; Woll, Grotenfelt's Modern Dairy Practice.' S. FRASER, Instructor in Farm Practice, Cornell University.

Butter, Artificial. See OLEOMARGARINE. Butter and Eggs, a troublesome weed. See TOADFLAX.

Butter-bur (Petasites vulgaris), a composite plant, with large rhubarb-like leaves and purplish flowers, growing by the side of streams, allied to colt's-foot. The flowers appear before the leaves.

Butter-color, a preparation employed to color butter and its imitations. Annatto was formerly largely used for this purpose, but is oring substances. Owing to the small quantities now superseded by coal-tar colors and other colused in coloring butter they are quite harmless.

Butter-fishes. The two best known butter-fishes in American waters are denizens of the Atlantic. One (Poronotus triacanthus) is the butter-fish or dollar-fish of the coast of Massachusetts and New York, the harvest-fish of New Jersey, the dollar-fish of Maine, the sheepshead of Cape Cod, the pumpkinseed of swims mostly in company with large jellyfish, Connecticut, and the star-fish of Norfolk. It whose streamers, while often protecting it from other depredators, are frequently the cause of its death from their stings. The body is ovate and flat, the dorsal and anal fins are each very pointed, and the tail is long and widely forked. butter-fish" found from Cape Cod southward The harvest-fish (Peprilus paru) is another to Brazil, but it is most abundant about the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, where it is locally called "whiting." It has the habit of swimming beneath the Portuguese man-of-war. It is a delicious little pan-fish, about six inches long. On the Pacific coast there are three species, one of which (P. simillima) is the Californian "pomCruz, where it is highly prized for its rich and pano," ," abundant during summer about Santa delicate quality, and reaches 10 inches in length. Consult : Jordan and Evermann, American Food and Game Fishes' (1902).

Butter Making. See BUTTER.

Butter Rock, an obsolete name for certain

alums.

are

Butter-tree, various tropical or subtropical trees of different genera and even families. Their seeds yield fixed oils which resemble butter and are similarly used or employed for lighting. The leading group is perhaps the genus Bassia of the natural order Sapotacea. Of this genus the best-known species are B. longifolia, the Indian oil-tree, whose wood resembles teak, and is in use in the East; B. butyracea, the Indian butter-tree, whose light wood is of no commercial importance: and B. latifolia, the East Indian Mahowa, Mahwa, or Madhuca. Beside the oil obtained from each of these trees, B. butyracea yields an edible fruit, and the corollas of B. latifolia are either eaten raw or are used for making a liquor or for distilling their essential oil. Butyrospermum Parkii, formerly referred to the genus Bassia, is the butter-tree of central Africa. It yields the galam or shea butter, obtained by boiling the seeds, which is locally an important article of commerce. The oil is obtained by boiling the kernels of the sun or kiln-dried seeds in water. It possesses long-keeping qualities. Various species of the genus Caryocar (q.v.), natives of South America, are known as butter-trees.

Butter-worker, a machine designed to unite the small particles of butter, remove the buttermilk and water, and incorporate the salt,

[graphic]
[ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
[graphic][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »