CREAM RIPENING 245 



in cream and butter. Hence, if butter remains on the market 

 for several weeks before it reaches the consumer, or if it is in- 

 tended for storage purposes, the ripening of the cream is not 

 beneficial and may prove exceedingly harmful to the quality 

 of the butter at the time it reaches the consumer. If starter 

 is used at all in the manufacture of this butter, it should be 

 added to the cream after the cream has been cooled to the 

 churning temperature, or preferably immediately before the 

 cream is drawn into the churn. This will lend the cream and 

 butter the beneficial and freshening flavor effect of the starter 

 and at the same time, it will prevent the acidity from rising 

 to a point harmful to the keeping quality of butter. 



The desirability and extent of the use of starter and of 

 cream ripening further depends on the quality of the cream. 

 In the case of cream of good quality and that arrives at the 

 creamery in sweet condition, the addition of starter and the 

 ripening of the cream, do not jeopardize the keeping quality 

 of the resulting butter nearly as much as in the case of cream 

 of inferior quality, or cream that is already highly acid when 

 it reaches the creamery. In this type of cream the fermenta- 

 tions and the acidity produced may and usually have already 

 started the formation of cleavage products and the further 

 ripening hastens decomposition and shortens the life of the butter. 

 This holds true of all sour cream, whether neutralized or not. 

 If starter is used at all in cream that arrives at the creamery 

 sour, it should be added only just before churning time. In 

 most cases it would be preferable to use sweet milk or sweet 

 skim milk, in the place of sour starter when butter made from 

 this sour cream is held for any length of time before it is con- 

 sumed. Or if the consumption of the butter is fairly rapid the 

 milk originally intended for starter, may be divided into two 

 equal portions, one half to be added as sweet milk, immediately 

 after neutralization and before pasteurization, and the remainder 

 as ripened starter, just before churning. Such cream should 

 have an acidity of less than .3 per cent at the time of churning. 



In the case of sweet cream, it is obvious that butter made 

 without the use of starter and without cream ripening, has a 

 milder flavor than the public desires. Butter made in this man- 

 ner is therefore, less suitable for immediate consumption, but 



