490 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [J?//^ 2, 1920. 



Faults found in Butter* 



Their Definitions, Causes, and Some Suggested 

 Remedies for Same.* 



A. M. BROWN, Dairy Instructor and Grader. " 



It is my desire in this paper to endeavour to give some explanation in detail 

 of the remarks of the grader in connection with the flavour of butter which 

 appear in condensed form on the grade slips and check gi'ading forms which 

 are sent out to the factories by the Dairy Branch, and which ai^e intended to 

 convey to managers and butter-makers information as to the faults or 

 general quality of the butter produced at their factories. I desire also to 

 suggest remedies for some of the faults found. 



•■ocs^ 



" Tallowy." 



A remark very often recorded is " tallowy." This means that the butter 

 has assumed to a greater or less degree the flavour of tallow or lai'd, and is 

 losing, or has entirely lost, its characteristic butter flavour. This fault is 

 caused by a chemical change, or the action of certain bacteria on £he fat, 

 either in the cream before its manufacture into butter^or in the butter after 

 manuf actu re. 



Butter that has been " heated " in any way, or subjected to any extra 

 amount of friction in the process of manufacture, either tlirough being over- 

 churned, over-worked, or rammed too much in the process of packing, will 

 tend to be tallowy in flavour. 



Cream that is stale and that contains a high percentage of fat, if held at 

 a comparatively high temperature under unclean conditions, will become 

 tallowy and produce tallowy butter, probably through its being infected with 

 certain organisms whose action on the fat has the effect of splitting it up 

 and liberating some of the A'olatile oils Avhich give butter its characteris' ic 

 flavour. 



Cream that has been carted long distances and exposed to the direct rays 

 of the sun, or that has been held in rusty cans, will often assume a tallovry 

 flavour and produce tallowy butter. 



Tallowy cream should always be graded second gi\ide or lower, according 

 to the degree to which this objectionable flavour has developed, and should 

 on no account be mixed with untainted cream, for, as the fat itself is being 

 practically decomposed, the admittedly lieneficial effect of the process of 

 pasteurisation on certain other inferior creams cannot be expected to apply 

 to cream the main solid constituent of which is undergoing such a complete 

 chemical change. 



* Papor read at Cooperative Dairj' Factory Managers' Conference, Sydney, 24th 

 June, 1920. 



