RIPENING AS AFFECTING KEEPING PROPERTY. l/ 



formed .will tend to soften protein material which may be 

 holding the fat drops, and the growth of peptonizing bacteria 

 would further tend to dissolve such substances. The result 

 is that, after a few hours' ripening, the fibrin substance which 

 prevents the ready fusion of the fat drops is softened 

 and dissolved. The globules are then readily shaken 

 together, churning becomes easy and the yield is greater. 

 When cream is separated from milk by the separator this 

 protein-like material is thrown out of the milk and collects on 

 the drum of the separator ; the fat drops are, therefore, more 

 free in separator cream, and fuse with readiness, thus explain- 

 ing the fact that centrifugal cream churns readily enough 

 without previous ripening. 



The explanation here given is the most plausible account 

 of the phenomenon, but it is by no means demonstrated. The 

 existence of the fibrin is not proved. Storch believes each 

 fat drop is coated with a thin mucin-like layer and doubts 

 the existence of fibrin. The exact physical condition of the 

 fat in the cream is, in short, not yet positively known, and 

 the account given here must be regarded only as a tentative 

 explanation. 



Ripening as Affecting the Keeping Property. As already 

 stated, it is not definitely settled that ripening does affect the 

 keeping property of butter, for some experiments seemingly 

 indicate that this is not true. The majority, however, have 

 shown that butter made from ripened cream does keep better 

 than butter made from the cream that is not ripened. It is 

 easy to understand why this should be the case. There is 

 present in cream a considerable quantity of albuminoid 

 material and milk sugar capable of being acted upon by bac- 

 teria. If the bacteria be allowed to grow for a short period 

 before churning, the lactic bacteria produce acid and this, as 

 we have seen, has a tendency to check the development of 

 other bacteria. The growth of lactic bacteria will actually 

 stop any further fermentative changes due to bacteria. If, 



