FACTORS THAT AID IN MOISTURE CONTROL 321 



it may vary from i to 4 per cent. The amount of salt properly 

 dissolved in butter depends upon the amount of water present. 

 The first important step in controlling the salt-content is to4iave 

 a reasonable control of the water-content of the butter. If 

 there is 16 per cent of water present in butter it is desirable to 

 incorporate as much salt as the water will dissolve within the 

 time usually allotted for that purpose. This amount of salt 

 suits most of the American butter markets. 



The authors have analyzed commercial butter containing as 

 high as 8 per cent salt, the major portion of this being present in 

 an undissolved condition. Such butter is called gritty and is 

 objected to by the consumer. Salt acts as a preservative to some 

 extent and adds flavor to butter provided it is in good condition. 

 It has been said that the addition of salt has some effect upon the 

 body of butter. 



Richmond asserts that salted butter loses more water on 

 standing than unsalted butter. Undoubtedly this is due to the 

 fact that the salt added to butter has an affinity for water and 

 the drops of water in salted butter are much larger; conse- 

 quently, unless the butter is thoroughly worked so as to break 

 up the drops of water into smaller drops, this will have a ten- 

 dency to cause what is known to the trade as leaky butter. It is 

 much more difficult to expel moisture from unsalted butter; 

 consequently, a great deal of unsalted butter has been seized by 

 the Internal Revenue officials due to the fact that it exceeded 

 the prescribed moisture limit set by the Internal Revenue 

 Department. 



Unsalted butter, if exposed to medium-high temperatures, 

 deteriorates quite rapidly, and frequently has a pronounced 

 cheesy flavor. If it is kept at an extremely low temperature it 

 keeps well in storage. Creameries have been known to put up 

 their butter in an unsalted condition in the summer and put it 

 down to zero or below; in the winter they took it out, salted 

 it, and worked it up in prints as fresh butter for their winter 

 trade. 



Excessive moisture in butter causes it to become dull or 

 iusterless in color. Butter that has a very dry appearance and is 



