PACKING BUTTER 



387 



Loss of Moisture in Packing. When butter is packed into 

 tubs and boxes some moisture is lost, as a certain amount of 

 water is thereby pounded out of the butter. A small additional 

 loss of moisture further occurs in the cutting and printing of the 

 butter. The average loss of moisture due to packing of 619 

 different churnings of butter at the Purdue University Creamery 

 is shown in the following table : 



1 Table 58. Showing Difference of Moisture Content Between 

 Churn and Box Samples Averages Grouped According to 

 Season of Year. 



The least difference between the churn and box samples was 

 shown in April, May and June. The difference increased grad- 

 ually and was highest in January, February and March, when it 

 averaged over 1 per cent. 



This gradual increase of the loss of moisture, due to pack- 

 ing, from early summer to spring is interesting. It suggests 

 that it is the result of the increasing firmness of the butter 

 during the same time. The winter butter is firmer than the 

 summer butter, more pounding is required in packing firm butter 

 than in the case of soft butter. 



The loss of moisture by packing varies considerably with 

 individual churnings. It depends on how well the moisture is 

 incorporated. Leaky butter may lose several per cent, of mois- 



1 These figures represent the differences between the churn samples and 

 the tub or box samples. In every case the churn samples contained more 

 moisture than the tub or box samples. 



1 Hunziker, Mills & Spitzer, Moisture Control of Butter, Purdue Bulletin, 

 160, 1912. 



