CHAPTEE VII 



Butter Importance of Bacteria for Butter-Making 



BUTTER may be described as the most important of 

 milk products; and although the conditions and 

 nature of the changes going on in the process of the 

 conversion of milk into butter have been made the 

 subject of considerable investigation, there can be no 

 doubt that we are still merely on the threshold of 

 our knowledge of this highly important operation. 

 The nature of the bacteria which effect the many 

 subtle changes going on in butter-making, and the 

 precise nature of the changes they bring about in the 

 butter-fat and other constituents of butter, are ques- 

 tions regarding which we are still very ignorant. 



As we have already remarked, in milk, so far as 

 it is used by itself and not as the raw material for 

 the manufacture of butter or cheese, the presence of 

 micro-organic life must be regarded as undesirable. 

 We consequently direct our attention towards de- 

 stroying, or, as far as possible, limiting, the action 



