BUTTER DEFECTS 487 



being obtained from cows fed on fishmeal. In contradiction to 

 the above, Weigmann writes that even in the case of intensive 

 feeding of herring meal or whale meal neither the milk nor the 

 butter show signs of fishiness. 



Harding, Rogers and Smith 1 investigated the cause of fishy 

 flavor and odor in milk brought to the New York State Experi- 

 ment Station by a milk dealer. This fishy taint was so pronounced 

 that the milk was of no commercial value, although coming from 

 a dairyman of more than ordinary carefulness in the handling 

 of his herd. They found that the defect was confined to the milk 

 of one cow that was fed on the same feed and received the same 

 care as the other animals in the herd. This cow was apparently 

 in normal condition. Bacteriological study of her milk revealed 

 no microorganisms capable of producing the fishy flavor. 



Piffard 2 suggests that the salt, owing to its ability to absorb 

 odors and flavors of material in close proximity, may occasionally 

 be responsible for fishy butter. This is improbable, the salt has 

 the power to intensify flavors but it does not readily absorb 

 flavors. The same author holds that frequently fishy butter 

 may be due to impure water with objectionable flavor, to which 

 the cows may have access and which he attributes to the devel- 

 opment of diatoms and algae, notably the Oscillaria. 



These cases of mechanical absorption by milk or butter of 

 the fishy flavor, or of fishy flavor caused by an abnormal condi- 

 tion of the cow or the milk, are comparatively rare. The great 

 majority of causes of fishy-flavored butter on the market is due 

 to causes, deeper seated, more complex and more difficult to 

 prevent. The seriousness of the defect and the difficulty of 

 avoiding it are augmented further by the fact that the fishy flavor 

 of most of the commercial butter does not show up at the churn. 

 In aggravated cases it may develop within the first few weeks 

 after manufacture, but in the great majority of cases it develops 

 while the butter is in cold storage. 



The earlier studies of fishy flavor in butter and its causes, 

 dealt largely with efforts to discover specific bacteria or other 



1 Harding, Rogers and Smith. Notes on Some Dairy Troubles. New York 

 State (Geneva) Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 183, 1900. 



2 Piffard. Fishy Flavor in Butter. New York Produce Review and Am. 

 Creamery, Vol. 13, No. 20, 1901. 



