CHAPTER XIV. 



CREAM-RIPENING. 



Definition. By cream-ripening we mean the treatment 

 cream receives from the time it is put into the ripening-vat 

 until it is put into the churn; and also the chemical, biological, 

 and physical changes cream undergoes during the same time. 



OBJECTS OF RIPENING. 



(i) To Produce Flavor and Aroma. The chief object of 

 cream-ripening is to secure the desirable and delicate flavor 

 and aroma which are so characteristic of good butter. These 

 flavoring substances, so far as known, can only be produced by a 

 process of fermentation. It is a well known fact that the best 

 flavor in butter is obtained when the cream assumes a clean, 

 pure, acid taste during the ripening. For this reason, it is 

 essential to have the acid-producing germs predominate during 

 the cream ripening; all other germs should if possible be 

 excluded or suppressed. 



It has not yet been proved that any one particular species 

 of bacteria is responsible for the production of the flavors, but it 

 is agreed by all that the flavoring substances developed during 

 the ripening of cream are decomposition products of bacterial 

 growth, and that the types producing the lactic acid are the 

 most desirable ones to have present. There are a great many 

 bacteria in milk and cream which will produce acid. Over one 

 hundred species have been studied and described. There seems, 

 however, to be a comparatively few of those which produce 

 the best results. 



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