412 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



cient to remove the buttermilk. When washing is completed, 

 the butter should still be in the granular condition. 



Salting the butter (Keithley) 



After drawing off the wash water, the granular butter should 

 be salted. The amount of salt necessary varies. If the reasons 

 for salting are kept in mind, the amount necessary can be readily 

 determined. There are three reasons for salting : (1) improve- 

 ment of the flavor ; (2) satisfying market demands ; (3) serves 

 more or less as a preservative. 



There are several methods in use among butter-makers for 

 determining the amount of salt to be added to butter. In 

 creameries salt is usually calculated on the butter-fat basis, i.e. 

 from the weight of cream and percentage of butter-fat the 

 pounds of butter-fat are calculated, and for each pound of 

 butter-fat a definite amount of salt is added. This amount 

 varies from | oz. to Ij oz. a pound, dependent on demands of 

 the market. In the larger dairies, where from 50 to 500 Ib. are 

 made a week, probably the most common method is to weigh 

 the granular butter after washing has been completed, and add a 

 definite amount of salt for each pound of butter. This amount 

 varies in different localities from \ oz. to 1| oz. to a pound. 

 When this practice is followed, the salt should be sifted evenly 

 over the granular butter by use of a fine-meshed sieve. This 

 prevents the addition of lumps of salt, which would be dissolved 

 and distributed with difficulty. 



In the small farm dairies, where from 5 to 10 Ib. are made a 

 week, it is usually the practice to estimate the weight of butter 

 and guess at the amount of salt necessary. This practice is not 

 to be recommended on account of the great lack of uniformity 

 in salting which results. Either the practice followed in cream- 

 eries or the larger dairies should be used. Weighing both the 

 butter and salt is probably the more practical. 



