360 WORKING THE; BUTTER 



tides gather into large drops which can be expelled when the 

 butter is worked again. It is obvious that this repeated work- 

 ing does not improve the body of the butter and should be 

 avoided as much as possible. 



The buttermaker should bear in mind that when the but- 

 ter has been washed, it contains excessive moisture, part of 

 which must be expelled, and that moisture control is not so 

 much a matter of incorporating additional moisture into but- 

 ter, as it is a matter of properly regulating the expulsion of 

 moisture. The control of the expulsion of moisture can be 

 greatly facilitated by proper handling of the cream as to churn- 

 ing temperature, according to the character of the butterfat and 

 this in turn is a problem which requires constant observation 

 and intelligent adjustment of the process in accordance with pre- 

 vailing conditions. See also "Moisture Control." 



Effect of Working on the Flavor and Keeping Quality of 

 Butter. Generally speaking, the less the butter is worked and 

 the more nearly the grain of the butter is preserved,' the better 

 will be the flavor and keeping quality of the finished product. 

 There is an unmistakable tendency in American creameries to 

 work their butter too much and thereby to impair its body, and 

 possibly its flavor and keeping quality. This tendency is chiefly 

 the result of one or both of the following two practices : 



In order to hasten the process of manufacture the butter is 

 worked immediately after the salt has been added. The salt is 

 given no time to dissolve before working. This requires con- 

 siderable working, especially when the usually large amount of 

 salt is incorporated, in order to insure complete solution of the 

 salt and to avoid grittiness and in order to distribute the salt 

 evenly and to fuse the water and brine completely so as to avoid 

 waviness and mottles. For this reason some of the very badly 

 mottled butter has an exceptionally good flavor. This is not due 

 to the presence of the mottles, but it is the result of the same 

 condition which tends to bring about the mottles, usually under- 

 working, or the absence of overworking. In some European 

 creameries where a special effort is made to produce quality, the 

 butter is not worked for several hours after the salt has been 

 added. The salt thus has an opportunity to largely go in solution 



