456 BUTTER STORAGE 



is sufficient to warrant the use of the lower temperature, even 

 for butter of the best keeping quality. The author's own experi- 

 ence, both in experimental and commercial storage of butter, 

 is entirely in accord with the above findings and conclusions; 

 in order to insure the best keeping quality for storage butter of 

 any quality, the butter must be kept at a temperature of zero 

 degrees F. or below. 



In isolated cases creameries have their own cold storage. 

 This is true of many of the larger creameries. The great ma- 

 jority of the creameries of the country, however, lack the neces- 

 sary equipment and facilities for prolonged cold storage and 

 their attempt to use their own facilities in a great many cases 

 proves disappointing in its results. By far the largest portion of 

 the storage butter is stored in the cold rooms of large commer- 

 cial cold storage houses, whose exclusive business is the storage 

 of perishable goods. 



Shrinkage of Butter in Cold Storage. Under normal con- 

 ditions the shrinkage in the weight of butter put in cold storage 

 in tubs or cubes is not very great. The main shrinkage usually 

 takes place before the butter reaches the cold storage, while the 

 butter is held in the creamery cool room and in transportation, 

 and after storage when the butter is put up in prints. The loss 

 in weight between the package at the churn and the arrival at 

 the cold storage, varies considerably with the workmanship of 

 the butter, the completeness of moisture incorporation, the treat- 

 ment of tubs and liners, the time that elapses between packing 

 and storing and the amount of salt .butter contains. 



Butter that has a leaky body, as is usually the case with 

 butter that is churned at too high a churning temperature, or 

 that is made from cream that was not held long enough at the 

 churning temperature, or butter that is not worked sufficiently 

 to close up the water pockets, is prone to show maximum shrink- 

 age due to loss of water or brine. Butter packed in unparaf- 

 fined tubs will shrink more than butter packed in paraffined 

 tubs. A thin, poor liner permits of greater shrinkage of but- 

 ter than a heavy liner of good quality. The longer the butter 

 is held at ordinary cool room temperature and the greater the 

 distance of transportation before the butter reaches cold storage, 

 the more it will sacrifice in weight. Salted butter will lose more 



