Aprils, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N .8. W. 263 



Plates (B/C, D, E, and F) exposed to Atmosphere to show 



EXTENT OF MoULD INFECTION WITHIN THE FaOTORY. 



B. — An acid agar plate exposed to the atmosphere in the cream 

 attemperator room for five minutes, and after incubation for four days, 

 developed a total of thirty-six colonies of micro-organisms. Of these, twelve 

 were yeasts, thr'ee Micrococcus rosens T., one colony was of a sporing 

 l)acillus, while the twenty mould growths were as follows : — Cladosporium 

 sp. 9; Aspergillus sp. 2; Fusarius sp. 1; Spicaria sp. 6; Cephalosporium sp. 2. 



C — An acid agar plate exposed to the atmosphere in the churning room 

 for five minutes developed thirty-nine rnould growths and four colonies of 

 yeast. Following are the moulds : — Cladosporium sp. 23; Penicillium sp. 12 ; 

 Epicoccum sp. 2 ; Aspergillus sp. 2. 



D.' — Ordinary agar plate exposed to the atmosphere in the butter- working- 

 room for five minutes developed a total of thirty-two colonies of micro- 

 organisms. Seven of these were mould growths comprising species of 

 Cladosporium and Epicoccum. Eleven were yeasts, while the fourteen 

 bacterial colonies were Sarcina aurentiaca, Micrococcus rosens, a sporing 

 bacillus and Cladothrix sp. 



E. — Glucose agar plate exposed for five minutes to the atmosphere in the 

 storeroom for empty boxes, butter-paper, salt, «fec. The total count of 

 micTW-organisms was thirty-four. Twenty-one of these were mould growths 

 comprising species of : Cladosporium, Alternaria, Penicillium and Epicoccum. 

 Three colonies of yeast were counted, while amongst the bacterial colonies 

 were Staphlococcns alhus, Sarcina and Cladothrix sp. 



F. — Ordinary agar plate exposed five minutes to the atmosphere in the 

 cold room. The total count of micro-organisms was forty-eight. Thirty- 

 eight of these were mould growths comprising species of Penicillium, 

 Alternaria ami Cladosporium. Two colonies of yeast appeared, one 

 Cladothrix sp., three Bact. svMilis, and three yellowish slimy colonies of 

 a gram-positive bacterium which rapidly liquefies gelatin. 



Summary of Results. 

 The large numbers of undesirable organisms found in .the cream before 

 pasteurising suggests unsatisfactory and unclean conditions on at least some 

 of the dairy farms. Pasteurisation eiFectively destroyed all vegetative forms 

 of undesirable organisms. The holding of the pasteurised cream in open 

 vats, exposed to the air and dust of an old factory with insanitary surround- 

 ings is disastrous, seeing that from the plates over half a million per c.c. of 

 undesirable organisms were added in twenty hours. These would be sure to 

 exert their deteriorating influence upon the good-keeping qualities of the 

 butter. 



The system of working and salting butter on an open worker facilitates 

 the inclusion of many bacteria, moulds, oidium, and yeasts. 



The plates, poured with the waters used at the factory, suggests that 

 bacteria are reduced in numbers by chilling to 40 deg. Fah. Tlie atmospheric 



