148 NEUTRALIZATION OF SOUR CREAM 



The relation between the condition of the cream can and 

 the quality of the butter is so intimate, and the effect of the 

 use of cans that are in poor condition is so injurious to the 

 quality of the butter, that the matter of proper care and re- 

 pair of cream cans is a problem that demands most serious at- 

 tention. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE NEUTRALIZATION OF SOUR CREAM. 



Definition. By neutralization of cream for butter making, 

 is understood the reduction of the acid in sour cream. Chemical- 

 ly, neutralization would mean the process of making the cream 

 neutral, removing all the acid. This would be obviously undesir- 

 able in the case of cream intended for buttermaking, its injury to 

 the quality of the resulting butter would be far greater than its 

 expected benefits. It would make butter of very inferior flavor 

 and poor keeping quality. In fact it would forfeit the benefits 

 for which cream is neutralized. 



In the sense used in the creamery, neutralization refers to 

 the removal of excess acid, reducing the acidky to say .2 to .3 

 per cent. The term neutralization, therefore, is a misnomer, 

 it is misleading, inasmuch as it misrepresents the intent and 

 practice of the process. A more correct name for this process 

 would be the "Standardization of Cream for Acid." However, 

 neutralization has become an established trade name, it has 

 become an inherent part in the creameryman's vocabulary, so 

 that, in order to avoid confusion and for the sake of clearness, 

 it seems advisable to retain the trade name, "neutralization" 

 in this discussion. 



Object of Neutralization. With the help of proper neutrali- 

 zation, the creamery hopes to and does accomplish the following 

 three principle objects: 



1. To avoid excessive loss of fat that results from churn- 

 ing cream that is pasteurized while excessively sour. 



. 2. To guard against the production of undesirable flavors 

 in cream which are prone to result when cream that is high in 

 acid is pasteurized at a high temperature. 



3. To improve the keeping quality of butter made from high 



