508 BUTTER DEFECTS 



bly butter is to churn, wash and work at temperatures suffi- 

 ciently high to secure a reasonably soft butter that binds and 

 compacts readily and makes the butter pliable. Churn at a tem- 

 perature that will insure the formation of moderately soft, flaky 

 granules, instead of small, round, hard granules, then wash the 

 butter with wash water of the same temperature as that of the 

 buttermilk, or possibly a degree or two higher, especially in a 

 cold churn room, and work it sufficiently to secure a waxy, tough 

 texture. 



The crumbly body of butter is frequently also attributed to 

 frozen cream. There is no evidence on record that the freezing 

 of cream has any appreciable influence on the body of the butter, 

 but it is quite possible, that improper methods of thawing of 

 frozen cream, causing it to "oil off," may intensify the tendency 

 of winter butter to be crumbly. See also Chapter VI on the 

 "Handling of Frozen Cream." 



Faulty pasteurization, in which the cream is permitted to 

 "oil off," as may be caused by the use of excessively high tem- 

 peratures, or by allowing the cream, while hot, to lie in the vat 

 undisturbed and without agitation, will intensify the crumbly 

 butter defect for the same reason as is the case with faulty 

 handling of frozen cream. 



The crumbliness of brittle butter is augmented by exposure 

 of such butter to very low temperatures. Butter that is inclined 

 toward brittleness and that is intended for the critical hotel trade, 

 should, therefore, be held in a room at a moderate temperature, 

 so that, at the time of delivery, it is not excessively firm and 

 will lend itself more readily to the slab cutter. Such hotels 

 might also advantageously be cautioned not to expose this butter 

 to abnormally low temperatures before cutting. 1 



Mealy Body. 'Mealy butter is butter that lacks the smooth, 

 velvety texture of well-made butter. It is a defect that is critic- 

 ized by the buyer, and when the mealiness is very pronounced, 

 it is seriously objected to. 



Causes of Mealy Body. In the great majority of cases 

 mealy butter is due to a hardened condition of the particles 

 of casein, resulting from excessive exposure to heat in the pres- 

 ence of high acid, as is the case when heating sour cream to too 



1 It is advisable to work butter that is inclined to be crumbly very thor- 

 oughly, even to the extent of slight overworking. 



