154 NEUTRALIZATION OP SOUR CREAM 



The popular claim that the use of lime conveys to butter 

 a limy flavor does not apply to the proper neutralization with 

 lime hydrate, it is the result of the abuse of lime resulting from 

 inaccurate and faulty methods. Butter made from cream prop- 

 erly neutralized with milk of lime shows no such flavor defect. 

 On the contrary, its flavor is pleasant and its keeping quality, 

 other conditions being the same, is superior. Butter may, how- 

 ever, show a limy flavor when the lime neutralizer is not used 

 properly; if the lime mix is too concentrated and is not ade- 

 quately diluted before it is added to the cream, or if too much 

 neutralizer is added, as is very often the case with high acid 

 cream when no mathematically correct system of neutralization 

 is used, and when the senses of taste and smell constitute the 

 only means to determine whether the acidity in the cream has 

 been sufficiently reduced. 



Another very common cause of limy flavor in butter made 

 from high acid cream due to over-neutralization lies in the fact 

 that where the liming is done by guess only, the cream is 

 usually tested immediately after neutralization and if the acidity 

 at that time is higher than desired, more neutralizer is added. 

 Since the action of the lime is slow and is not completed until 

 after the neutralized cream has been pasteurized, it is obvious 

 that the acid test made immediately after neutralization does 

 not indicate the true acidity of the cream. If more lime is 

 added on the basis of this acid test, there is danger of over- 

 neutralization, resulting in limy-flavored butter and other flavor 

 defects. 



In an effort to avoid limy flavor some creameries use both, 

 lime hydrate and sodium carbonate. They reduce the acidity 

 of the cream with lime to say about .35 to .4 per cent acid and 

 then complete the neutralization to the desired point with so- 

 dium carbonate. By this method they claim to secure the 

 beneficial action of the escaping carbondioxide, thus combin- 

 ing the advantages of lime hydrate and sodium carbonate with- 

 out suffering from the disadvantages of either. The lesser am- 

 ount of lime used minimizes the danger of a limy flavor and 

 the small amount of sodium carbonate required and added to 



