180 CONDENSED BUTTERMILK 
Equipment Necessa1y to Condense from 5000 to 6000 Pounds 
of Buttermilk per Hour: 
2 wooden buttermilk storage tanks, capacity 10,000 pounds 
each, for ripening the buttermilk ; 
1 6-foot vacuum pan with condenser; 
I vacuum pump, vacuum cylinder 18 inches diameter and 
20 inches long; if steam driven, steam evlinder, 12 inches diam- 
eter and 12 inches stroke; 
2 hot wells, 5 feet diameter and 5 feet deep, with 3 inch out- 
let in bottom, and equipped with brass heater arrangement. 
Boiler capacity, 150 Tl. P. 
Water requirements, 125 gallons per minute. 
OPERATION. 
‘Ripening of Buttermilk—The buttermilk should be sour, 
the sourer the better, because: 
1. The acidity facilitates the process of manufacture. The 
curd in sweet or only shehtly sour buttermilk is viscous and 
sticky. It adheres to the coils and sides of the pan and its action 
during the condensing process is sluggish, retarding evaporation, 
reducing the capacity of the pan and increasing the cost of 
manufacture. 
If the buttermilk is sour, these handicaps are greatly mini- 
mized. Upon subsequent heating the curd in the sour buttermilk 
contracts, loses much of its viscosity and stickiness, and adheres 
less readily to coils and sides of the pan. The sour buttermilk 
is more fluid, boils more vigorously and therefore condenses 
more rapidly. 
2. Tigh acid content is necessary in order to give the con- 
densed buttermilk satisfactory keeping quality. The finished 
product is not sterile, nor is the temperature at which it is held 
in storage sufficiently low to inhibit bacterial action and prevent 
decomposition, ‘The acidity is essential to preserve this product. 
3. Thigh acid is advantageous for feeding purposes. ‘The 
acid in the buttermilk keeps the fowls, pigs and hogs in healthy 
condition, and makes them thirsty. They drink more water, 
which 1s a valuable asset for best results, 
