BUTTER DEFECTS 503 



DEFECTS IN BODY AND TEXTURE. 



Properly made butter has a firm body and a waxy texture. 

 The body and texture of the butter are controlled by the char- 

 acter. of the butter fat and the churning temperature primarily, 

 and by the conditions incident to the churning, washing, salt- 

 ing and working of the butter. The character of the butter 

 fat is largely determined by its chemical composition and the 

 size of the fat globules, factors which in turn are controlled by 

 breed, period of lactation and feed of the cows, as explained 

 fully in the chapter on the "Conditions which Affect the Churn- 

 ability of Cream," Chapter X. 



Weak-Bodied Butter. Such butter lacks a firm, solid body 

 that will stand up well under unfavorable temperature conditions. 

 It softens quickly upon exposure to temperatures of about 65 F. 

 and above. It also is prone to show excessive leakiness. But- 

 ter with a weak body is usually the result of too high a churn- 

 ing temperature, or not holding the cream at the churning tem- 

 perature long enough before churning. It may be due also to 

 overworking, especially when excessively soft. 



The fundamental cause of a weak body generally lies in the 

 fact that the cream from which the weak-bodied butter is made 

 was never sufficiently cooled to adequately chill and harden all 

 the butterfat, especially those fats that have a relatively low 

 solidifying point. The butter from such cream then contains 

 a mixture of fats, all of which have not been congealed and some 

 of which are still in a liquid or semi-liquid state. Under these 

 conditions the mixed fat, representing the butter, lacks firm- 

 ness, it is "weak," and its mechanical stability readily collapses 

 when the butter is exposed to room temperature, or to higher 

 temperatures, though these temperatures may be considerably 

 below the melting point (9099 F.) of mixed butterfat. 



For the same reason a weak bodied butter results when the 

 cream, though it may have been cooled to the proper tempera- 

 ture, is not held at that temperature long enough to enable the 

 fat to actually partake of the low temperature. 



The defect is further intensified when this weak-bodied but- 

 ter is excessively worked in this soft condition. 



The proper temperature to which cream must be cooled, in 



