QUESTIONSand ANSWERS ON BUTTERMAKING CHAS. A. PUBLOW ^ilt §, ^. 7|m pbrarg pottl] Carolina ^tate QJoUege ^i'M-STj SOI 949426 Z 1 Date Due fel6'32 j„^3-ii2 Hov3'^ f4 Jv.t^5 fiApr/rl msh boTItd 'opperband ^'^t/,e\YC0C^ cup THE PUBLOW ACID TEST Questions and Answers ^ on Buttermaking ^ By CHAS. A. PUBLOW, A.B.M.D.C.M. Assistant Professor of Dairy Industry in Cornell University ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK ORANGE JUDD COMPANY LONDON Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Limited Copyright, 1909 Orange Judd Company New York [BKTEBED AT STATIONERS' HALL, LONDON, ENGLAND] Printed in U. S. A. This little book is affectionately dedicated to my father, of whom it can be said that no man was more willing to answer the questions of his students or more anxious for their success. S0504 fMo PREFACE In most of our agricultural schools and colleges many short-course students now make up a large part of the total registration, and in dairy work it is doubtful if any other class of students accom- plishes so much in the same period of tuition. Perhaps the greatest difficulty or drawback to the average short-course man is his lack of prelimi- nary school training. He can do manual work, but lack of experience in answering questions causes his failure at examination time. He knows the work, but cannot express his views in writing. Then there are those long-experienced, practical buttermakers who wish to better their positions by trying civil service examinations. They read all current literature and know the answers in a cer- tain way, but cannot express their thoughts as they should. It is for this class of men, and out of sympathy for their needs, that the author has seen fit to com- pile this little series of question compends. All modern literature on buttermaking has been consulted freely, with the hope of making the work more thorough and with the hope of being of the greatest service to those of our associates in dairy work. CHAS. A. PUBLOW. August, 1909. ait Colfe Questions and Answers on Buttermaking What is the average composition of milk? Water 87.0% Fat 4.0% Sugar 5.0% Casein 2.6% Albumin 7% Ash 7% What constituents of milk are most important in buttermaking ? Milk fat. Water. Sugar. Why is the milk fat most important? Because it forms over 80% of the composition of butter. In what form does fat in milk exist? Milk fat exists in the form of small globules not visible to the naked eye and held in suspension in the milk serum. What conditions affect the size of fat globules? 1. Breeds of cows. 2. Individuality of cows. 2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 3. Period of lactation. 4. Part of milk tested. 5. Xight milking and morning milking. 6. Health of cow. What are properties of milk fat? Its specific gravity is about .93. Its melting point is between 90° F. and 99° F. When heated it be- comes oily and when cooled solidifies, some parts solidifying sooner than others. From what is milk fat formed? Fatty acids and glycerin. Of what fats is milk fat composed? 'Olein 35-0% Palmitin 25.7% Non-volatile Myristin 20.2% 92% I Laurin 7.4% Caprin i-9% Stearin 1.8% ^Butyrin 3-85% Volatile ^ Caprion 3-6o% 8% [Caprylin 55% What is the theory of a film surrounding each fat globule? Upon this subject there is great difference of opinion. Dr. Van Slyke of Geneva states that no such film exists. Dr. Storch says that a film does exist, that he has isolated and analyzed it and found it contained 94 per cent w^ater and 6 per cent pro- teid. ON BUTTERMAKING 3 What is a volatile fat? One composed of a soluble, easily vaporized, fatty acid, and glycerin. What is a non-volatile fat? One composed of an insoluble fatty acid and glycerin. It is not easily vaporized. What is the melting point of the different fats? Olein 41° F. Stearin 150° F. Myristin 129° F. Palmitin 142° F. Of what value are the casein and albumin in butter- making? Of no particular value, as they are retained in the skim milk. Of what value is milk sugar in buttermaking ? From milk sugar lactic acid is formed by the action of the bacteria. This knowledge is made use of in making starters, in ripening cream, in churning and in securing a desirable flavor and body in butter. What is the color of milk due to? I. To lactochrome. 2. To the milk fats, particularly palmitin. How does the color of milk affect the natural color- ing of butter? During those seasons of the year in which the cow is fed grass or other succulent foods the color 4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS of butter is highest. During the winter when dry feed is fed the milk fat has less color. What are the effects of pasteurizing milk at i8o° F. or over? 1. It destroys nearly all bacterial life. 2. It diminishes the viscosity. 3. It drives off gases. 4. It may impart a cooked taste. 5. It precipitates some of the albuminoids and ash constituents. 6. It destroys the properties of milk enzymes. 7. It splits up the fat globules. 8. It caramelizes some of the sugar. What ferments are common in milk? 1. Organized — bacteria, yeasts. 2. Unorganized — galactase. What is the difference between an organized and an unorganized ferment? An organized ferment is one due to the action of bacteria and having the power of reproducing itself. An unorganized ferment or enzyme is formed by some secreting gland, has limited action and has not the power of reproducing itself. What are bacteria? Bacteria are the lowest forms of microscopical plants. What bacteria are desirable in buttermaking? Those forms that produce lactic acid from milk sugar and give a desirable flavor to butter. ON BUTTERMAKING 5 What bacteria are undesirable in buttermaking? I. Those that produce gas and bad flavors in milk, cream and butter. 2.* Those that cause ropy milk. 3. Those that cause sweet coagulation of milk. 4. Liquifying bacteria. 5. All forms that are not necessary in producing clean, wholesome butter. Upon what conditions do bacteria depend for growth ? 1. Suitable food. 2. Moisture. 3. Suitable temperature. What are the sources of bacteria in milk, cream, and butter? 1. From stable air, especially when dust, cob- webs and manure abound. 2. From unclean hands that milk the cows. 3. From unclean utensils. 4. From contaminated water. 5. From the air of any place whose surround- ings are unclean. 6. From impure starters. 7. From any unclean thing with which milk, cream, or butter comes in contact. 8. By keeping these products at too high tem- What are bacterial spores? They are the generative cells by which bacteria divide and reproduce. All forms of bacteria do not form spores. 6 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS How can bacteria be killed? Most bacteria can be killed by heating to a tem- perature of 212° F. Many forms are killed by lower temperature, but spores are not destroyed by boil- ing. How can spores be killed? By fractional sterilization, i. e., by first heating to boiling point, 212° F., then cooling to 90° F., allowing remaining spores to develop at this latter temperature into bacteria and heating again to 212° F. to kill these. This procedure may be re- peated several times. How can milk or cream be tested on the receiving platform? 1. For acidity by the use of an acidimeter. 2. For odors by sense of smell. 3. For flavors by sense of taste. 4. For insoluble dirt by eyesight and by allow- ing samples to stand a few minutes in small glass jars so that the dirt will settle to the bottom. 5. In cold weather flavors and odors can be de- tected more readily if milk and cream are warmed up by steam. 6. By the use of fermentation or Wisconsin curd test. 7. ^lilk can be tested for adulteration by the use of a lactometer. 8. Samples can be taken for composite bottles or for daily testing for fat. What is the fermentation test? Commonly called " Wisconsin curd test." Sam- ON BUTTERMAKING 7 pies of suspected milk from each patron are placed in small glass jars holding about half a pint. The milk is heated to 90° F. and retained at this tem- perature to make conditions favorable for the growth of any abnormal bacteria or ferments that may be present. Cheesemakers add a small amount of rennet to the samples of milk so that a curd is formed that may be studied for defects: The samples are examined frequently during the day, and tested for odors or other defects that may have developed. What are the uses of the fermentation test? 1. To assist in locating sources of bad flavors in milk, cream, and butter. 2. To study the nature of the milk furnished by each patron. 3. To study the action of suspected starters on samples of milk. How should milk and cream be sampled for fat testing ? Samples of milk can be accurately measured by the use of a 17.6 c. c. pipette. They can also be weighed, using 18 grams for each test. All samples of cream should be accurately weighed on reliable scales, using 4 grams for each sample. Accurate work cannot be done by using a pipette for measuring, as cream of different per- centages of fat varies considerably in volume. When milk and cream are paid for on the fat basis, composite samples of each patron's milk or cream are kept and tested at least twice each month 8 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS What is meant by "overrun" in buttermaking? The overrun is the difference between the amount of pure milk fat and the amount of butter manu- factured from that given amount of fat. How is the percentage overrun determined? The difference between the amount of fat and the amount of butter is divided by the amount of fat and multiplied by lOO. Example : 700 pounds milk testing 6 per cent= 42 pounds fat. Yield of butter made from 42 pounds fat, is 50 pounds; difference is 8 pounds (overrun) .*. percentage overrun is ^2^ X 100=19%. Upon what does the amount of overrun depend? 1. Thoroughness of skimming. 2. Completeness of churning. 3. General losses in the creamery. 4. Composition of the butter manufactured. 5. Accuracy in sampling the cream for testing. 6. Accuracy in reading the fat in the graduated test bottles. What is "churn-yield"? Churn-yield is the amount of butter in relation to the amount of fat in the milk. Example: /Pounds of butter, s^ lOO=chum.yield. ^Pounds of milk / -^ If cream is used instead of milk, the word cream is used in place of milk in this formula. What is meant by "cream-raising coefBcient"? It is the percentage of fat removed from the milk during the process of separation. Example: ON BUTTERMAKING 9 Suppose 100 pounds of milk containing 4 per cent fat is skimmed and it yields 85 pounds skim milk, testing .2 per cent fat and 15 pounds cream. Total fat in whole milk^iooX-04=4 pounds. Total fat in skim milk=85X-002=.i7 pound. Total fat in cream=4 — .17=3.83 pounds. 3 .83 X 100 . Qg yg .-. the cream-raising coefficient is 95.75 per cent. Should a patron who furnishes cream be paid more per pound of fat than the patron who delivers whole milk? Theoretically, he should, because there is no separator loss to the creamery when cream is fur- nished. However, it is doubtful if such a plan can be fairly conducted in many places, because the quality of the cream or fat determines largely its market value. Usually butter made by whole milk creameries is superior to that made in cream-gath- ering creameries, so, taken all in all, it is doubtful if any difference should be made in the price of fat. Why is milk heated or tempered before separating? 1. Because all separators skim closer and do not clog so easily. 2. Viscosity of milk is decreased. 3. Fluidity of milk is increased. 4. Increases the ease of fat separation. What is the best temperature for separating milk by centrifugal force? About 90° F. lO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS What are the advantages of high heating before separation? 1. Undesirable taints are largely eliminated. 2. Bacteria are killed in the skim milk and cream. 3. Less heating and cooling apparatus is neces- sary. 4. Closer skimming. 5. Less labor and smaller cost of heating. How should milk be heated before separation? 1. By some special heater that heats the milk indirectly with steam or hot water. This is the best method. 2. By the use of a double-jacketed vat in which hot water can be used. This is a common method, but it has two serious objections: (i) Milk is kept warm too long before sep- aration, favoring the rapid growth of bacteria. (2) If for any reason the separator or ma- chinery should break down, the warm milk will soon sour, especially during warm .weather. Why is it not advisable to heat milk by direct steam? 1. Steam from impure water may introduce bad flavors into the milk. 2. It is too sudden. 3. The butter may have a burnt or oily flavor. Why is fat separated from milk for churning? 1. To reduce the bulk. 2. To save fat. Fat is more easily removed by separation than by churning. ON BUTTERMAKING II 3. For commercial purposes. 4 To facilitate cream ripening. 5. To secure sweet skim milk. What are the different methods of cream separa- tion? rhand separators. 1. Centrifugal