BRINE-SALTING 287 



and the butter becomes greasy, air is incorporated, and the 

 color is light, dull and lusterless. Such butter is overworked 

 and keeps poorly. 



The process of working grinds up the water in the butter into 

 smaller and smaller drops. In a leaky butter the water is 

 present in large drops; in a dry butter it is present in small but 

 numerous drops. Repeated working does not injure the grain so 

 long as drops of water can be seen on the torn surface. Logically 

 the working of butter should be continued until the butter is not 

 leaky and stopped before it is dry and sticky. 



Brine-salting. Brine-salting is not as a rule practiced in 

 creameries. It is too expensive a method of salting, and also 

 too laborious. By salting butter with brine it is hardly possible 

 to get in salt enough to suit the American butter markets, 2 

 per cent being about the maximum amount of salt that can be 

 incorporated by the brine method. 



In some instances, brine-salting has been recommended. If 

 a light mild taste is desired, the brine method may give good 

 results. The greatest advantages of brine-salting are that 

 mottles in butter are practically avoided, and that the overrun 

 is usually increased a trifle. Especially is this so if the tempera- 

 ture of the brine is medium high when added to the butter. In 

 order to get enough salt (2 per cent) into the butter by the brine 

 method, it is necessary to churn it considerably in the brine and 

 to use two sets of brine. When brine is first added the butter 

 already contains considerable water. This water practically 

 has to be replaced by brine. This is difficult to do, especially if 

 the butter has been overchurned a trifle. 



Churning the butter in the first brine will soon dilute the brine 

 to such an extent that it will impart but little saltiness to the 

 butter. For this reason this first brine should be removed and 

 another one added, and the butter churned again in this brine. 

 This last brine will have very little curd in it, and can be saved 

 until the following day and then used as the first brine. The 

 first brine may be used each day for soaking tubs. 



It is essential to leave the brine on the butter for from five 

 to fifteen minutes. Churning excessively in the brine, espe- 



