284 BUTTER-MAKING. 



with the understanding that it is rich in fat, much objection has 

 been raised to butter containing an abnormal amount of water. 

 This objection by consumers is, of course, a just one. The 

 producers desire to incorporate as much water as is consistent 

 with good quality. Butter containing a high moisture -con- 

 tent, more than 18%, will appear .dead and dull. It is sticky, 

 and when sampled with a trier it is next to impossible to draw a 

 full trier of butter. It shrivels and rolls on both sides of the trier 



Moisture affects butter in two principal ways, according to 

 the way in which is is incorporated: (1) By causing leaky 

 butter, and (2) by making the butter appear dull. 



1. This leaky condition in commercial butter is very common. 

 It has been a common opinion among butter- judges that when- 

 ever water appears in large drops on the butter, and some- 

 what slushy when sampled, the butter contains too much 

 moisture. This, however, is not always the case, as butter will 

 not as a rule hold an excessive amount of moisture in that form. 

 Even if this leaky butter does not contain an excess of moisture, 

 it is a very undesirable condition, as most consumers object 

 to this apparent slushiness. As has been stated before, this 

 leaky condition is brought about chiefly by churning the butter 

 to small granules, washing the butter very little in cold water, 

 salting heavily, while butter granules are still small and firm, 

 and working the butter frequently in the presence of brine. 

 When moisture is properly incorporated in butter, it should 

 be present in exceedingly minute drops. In a fine state of 

 division it will not escape from the butter. 



This leaky condition of moisture in butter may give a wrong 

 impression to consumers about its moisture-content. Major 

 Alvord, Chief of Dairy Division of U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, reports that a great many buyers on the English market 

 have the opinion that American butter contains an excess of 

 moisture. This conclusion evidently has been reached on 

 account of the water in American butter often appearing in 

 this leaky condition, as described above. In reality it is low 

 in its moisture-content. 



