SALTING AND WORKING OF BUTTER. 263 



Gritty Butter. "Gritty butter" is a familiar phrase used 

 by expert butter-scorers to indicate that part of the salt is 

 present in an undissolved condition. To most consumers this 

 condition of the salt in butter is objectionable. When properly 

 incorporated, salt should be present in the form of a solution 

 in the butter. The gritty condition of the salt in butter may 

 be due to (1) poor condition of the salt before it is added to 

 the butter; (2) adding so much salt that it cannot be dis- 

 solved by the water in the butter. The maximum amount 

 of salt that butter will dissolve depends upon the amount of 

 moisture present. The maximum amount of moisture per- 

 missible in butter, as limited by law, is 16%. The condition 

 of the water in butter prevents the water from being saturated 

 with salt during the comparatively short time allowed for salt 

 to dissolve during the manufacture of butter. (3) Insufficient 

 working. If the butter is not worked enough to distribute 

 the salt evenly, some portion of the butter will contain more 

 than the other portions. The portion that contains the excess 

 of salt does not have enough moisture to dissolve the salt; 

 while if the salt had been evenly distributed in the butter, all 

 the salt would have been properly dissolved. When gritty 

 butter is caused by insufficient working, it usually mottles. 



Mottled Butter. Mottled butter is butter which is uneven 

 in color. This unevenness in color may be due to several 

 different causes. It may be due to specks of curd (speckled 

 butter), and it may be due to certain organisms (dappled 

 butter). These causes of mottled butter are not very com- 

 mon in factories where the manufacture of butter is properly 

 carried on. 



The most common fault of mottled butter is the improper 

 incorporation of salt and the presence of an excessive amount 

 of buttermilk. Mottled butter caused in this way is com- 

 mon. It would be of much commercial importance if it were 

 possible to prevent its occurrence. In case all the water 

 had been saturated with salt, and there is still undissolved 

 salt left, then the granular or undissolved salt will cause no 



