504 BUTTER DEFECTS 



order to prevent the weak body varies considerably with such 

 factors as breed of cows, period of lactation and feed ; the relation 

 of these factors to the churning temperature and to the firmness 

 of the butter is fully explained in Chapter X- " Churning." 



For the assistance of the buttermaker the prevention of 

 weak-bodied butter may best be summarized as follows: 



1. Thoroughly chill the cream and hold it at the low tem- 

 perature not less than two to three hours before churning. 



2. Do not guess at the churning temperature but determine 

 it accurately with a correct thermometer. 



3. When deciding what the churning temperature should 

 be, be guided by the firmness or softness of the previous churn- 

 ing and by the time required to complete the churning process. 



4. Other conditions being the same, have the cream at that 

 churning temperature at which the butter will break in about 40 

 to 50 minutes. 



5. Butter that breaks in 20 to 25 minutes is prone to have 

 a weak body. The cream from which it was made either was 

 not cooled low enough or not held long enough at the low 

 temperature. 



6. Cool the cream, according to conditions, to temperatures 

 within the range of about 45 to 53 F. in summer and about 

 54 to 60 F. in winter. This refers to cream churned in the 

 middle western states. 



7. In case the butter comes exceedingly soft, let it rest, 

 in granular condition, in cold water or ice water until it has 

 hardened, so it can be handled and worked without serious 

 danger of becoming greasy. 



8. Do not overwork soft butter. 



9. Points 7 and 8 do not prevent weak body, at this stage 

 the weak body is already an accomplished fact. But they may 

 help to minimize the unfavorable consequences of the defect. 



Greasy Body. Butter becomes greasy when worked ex- 

 cessively while in very soft condition, due either to too high 

 churning temperature of the cream, too rich cream, or holding 

 the butter in the churn too long before working, allowing it 

 to warm up, or working it on a table worker in a warm room. 

 Greasiness can be avoided by so governing the churning tern- 



