WHY RIPENING IS SATISFACTORY. IQ3 



filled with a miscellaneous variety of bacteria. Sweet cream 

 contains many species of bacteria, and among them are some 

 that would produce mischief in the butter if they had a 

 chance to develop. But, in spite of this, the ripening of 

 cream usually produces a satisfactory product. The reason 

 appears to be threefold. First, of the various species of 

 bacteria in milk or cream the majority either produce good 

 results in the butter or have no appreciable effect. Conse- 

 quently, if care is taken to keep the dairy in good condition, 

 the cream will usually be supplied with bacteria which pro- 

 duce good results, and only under improper conditions will 

 the unfavorable species be abundant. Second, the species 

 which give rise to a good product are probably more vigor- 

 ous than the others. At all events, the lactic organisms 

 develop more rapidly and more vigorously than any other 

 types ; and ordinarily before the other forms of bacteria have 

 had a chance to produce any very unpleasant flavors their 

 further growth is checked by the development of the lactic 

 organisms. The miscellaneous bacteria have a chance to 

 develop slightly, they give rise to very small quantities of de- 

 composition products, and then their further development is 

 checked by the growth of the lactic bacteria. The development 

 7)f the lactic bacteria must be regarded as the primary factor 

 which checks the development of unfavorable decomposition 

 in the cream and, therefore, prevents the development of im- 

 proper flavors. Third, the temperature used for ripen- 

 ing cream is one that has been selected because it favors 

 the development of the lactic bacteria at the expense of 

 the other species, so that the lactic bacteria, in the majority 

 of cases, prevent the excessive growth of those forms 

 which might otherwise produce trouble. All of these things 

 together ordinarily give rise to a type of ripening which pro- 

 duces a good-flavored butter. Nevertheless, while the cream 

 ripening usually proceeds in a normal fashion, occasionally 

 abnormal results are obtained. Butter-makers are sometimes 



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