MILK AND ITS PRODUCTS 171 



tion to this, cream ripening has several minor purposes, 

 namely: (i) renders cream more easily churnable ; (2) 

 obviates difficulties from frothing or foaming in churn- 

 m S> (3) permits a higher churning temperature; (4) 

 increases the keeping quality of butter. 



Flavor. This, so far as known at the present time, 

 is the result of the development of the lactic fermentation. 

 If other fermentations aid in the production of this im- 

 portant quality of butter, they must be looked upon as 

 secondary. In practice the degree or intensity of flavor 

 is easily controlled by governing the formation of lactic 

 acid. That is, the flavor develops gradually with the in- 

 crease in the acidity of the cream. Sweet cream butter, 

 for example, is almost entirely devoid of flavor, while 

 cream with an average richness possesses the maximum 

 amount of good flavor possible when the acidity his 

 reached .6%. 



Churnability. Practical experience shows that sour 

 cream is more easily churnable than sweet cream. This 

 is explained by the fact that the development of acid in 

 cream tends to diminish its viscosity. The concussion pro- 

 duced in churning causes the little microscopic fat glob- 

 ules to flow together and coalesce, ultimately forming the 

 small granules of butter visible in the churn. A high 

 viscosity impedes the movement of these globules. It is 

 evident, therefore, that anything that reduces the viscosity 

 of cream, will facilitate the churning. 



As a rule, too, the greater the churnability of cream the 

 'smaller the loss of fat in the buttermilk. 



Frothing. Experience shows that ripened cream is 

 less subject to frothing or foaming than unripencd. This 

 is probably due to the reduced viscosity of ripened cream 

 and the consequent greater churnability of same. 



