524 Journal of Agriculture. [9 Sept., 1907. 



PASTEURISING HOME SEPARATOR CREAM.* 



\N . A. Herkcs, Dairy Expert. 



During the past exjx>rt season, the greatest fault found in butter manu- 

 factured at many factories handling home separator cream was its irregu- 

 larity of flavour, that is, when taking sample boxes for examination, three 

 different butters were often found, and hence a difficulty in arriving at an 

 average value has been experienced. In these times when the British and 

 other oversea buyers are demanding uniformity, we must, if we desire to hold 

 our markets, produce an article which is uniform in flavour, texture, aroma, 

 colour, &c. Buyers here have continually told us that they cannot touch 

 certain butters as they cannot depend on getting the same quality from day 

 to day. Now, so far as I am able to judge, there are two methods by 

 which this desirable end can be attained. One is the attachment — compul- 

 sory if necessary — of a cooler to all home separator plants and quick 

 delivery, and the other is the pasteurisation of cream at the factories. The 

 two combined would, I feel sure, go far towards levelling up our output 

 lo a considerable extent. My paper to-day will deal with pasteurisation 

 and its possible application to home separator cream. 



Some five years ago I had my first experience in this system of pas- 

 teurisation, the cream treated being the very worst obtainable, and while 

 the results were slightly in favour of pasteurisation, it seemed to me that 

 if an improvement however slight could be made with poor cream, how 

 much greater theoretically would the improvement be in cream of good 

 and fair quality. One or two factories have since that time adopted the 

 principle in treating their home separator supply, and I hope the managers 

 of these factories will make known the results of their experience. 



Some twelve months ago I was instructed by the Superintendent of 

 Exports, Mr. Crowe, to carry out experiments at various factories, and 

 after demonstrating at one factory — being called to other work — the matter 

 was for a time laid aside. After the close of the export season, the matter 

 was again taken in hand, and I propose to give vou a short resume of the 

 experiments made, and to recommend for jour discussion a few of the 

 problems I have met. 



I may state that so far as we went with the plant at the three fac- 

 tories visited, reports, with one exception, have been favorable to the 

 pasteurised butter. However, you will this morning have the opportunity 

 cf judging the various samples of pasteurised and non-pasteurised butter, 

 and thus forming your own conclusions. Prices with one exception were 

 ^d. to fd. per lb. higher than for the same cream manufactured without 

 pasteurisation. You will see by this that it will be well for us to discuss 

 this question as fully as possible. In our experiments the usual supply 

 received at the various factories was treated. 



Coming to the principle of pasteurisation, it is hardly necessarv to say 

 that it means the heating of the matter treated through a continuous 

 heater, up to a temperature of 155 degrees P., or over. This heating, as 



*Paper read at the Fourteenth Annual Conference of the Australasian Butter 

 Factories' Managers' Association, held May, 1907, at Melbourne. 



