314 BUTTER. 



a very large amount of salt in proportion to tte water present. 

 This fact is of great use in distinguishing them from samples 

 which have been purposely watered. 



It is frequently stated, even by " experts," that salt butter 

 contains more water than fresh. Unless the term " salt butter " 

 is applied exclusively to pickled butter, this statement is contrary 

 to fact, as it is found that if, after churning, the butter is divided 

 into two parts, one being worked as fresh, and the other imme- 

 diately salted, the percentage of water is almost identical in the 

 two samples ; after standing, the salt butter will be found to lose 

 water by running out, whUe the fresh butter undergoes no such 

 loss. It will be found that salt butter when placed on the market 

 contains on the average less water than fresh butter. 



A high percentage of water does not appear to have any efiect 

 on the keeping qualities of the butter ; a large percentage of 

 solids not fat or curd seems to be distinctly inimical to its good 

 preservation. 



Speaking broadly, butters containing about 13J per cent, of 

 water have the best flavour. When the limits of 12 per cent, 

 on one hand, and 15 per cent, on the other, are passed, a distinct 

 falling-ofi in quality is usually found. To this rule, however, 

 exceptions are numerous. 



During very hot weather, if the butter is very soft when taken 

 out of the churn, there is a difficulty in working the water out 

 to a sufficient extent ; during very cold weather the butter may 

 be so hard that it cannot be efficiently worked. In both these 

 cases the water may somewhat exceed 16 per cent. An organism 

 has been described which produces changes in the cream which 

 prevent the water from being worked out, but it is fortunately 

 not frequently met with. 



The Analysis of Butter Fat. — Preparation of the Fat for 

 Analysis. — A portion of the butter is placed in a beaker and 

 melted by exposing to a temperature not exceeding 50° C. (122° 

 ¥.). The water, with a considerable amount of the other con- 

 stituents, sinks to the bottom, leaving the fat (containing, how- 

 ever, particles of curd in suspension) as an upper layer. If 

 the butter be genuine, fresh, and well made, the melted fat will 

 usually appear transparent ; while if it be mixed with butter 

 substitu-tes, rancid, or churned at a high temperature, or if it 

 has been melted and re-emulsified, the fat frequently has a 

 turbid appearance. 



The fat, with as little as possible of the other constituents, 

 is poured upon a dry filter, which is kept at a temperature suffi- 

 cient to prevent the fat from solidifying ; the clear fat, separated 

 from all the other constituents of butter, except a trace (0'2 per 

 cent.) of water and lactic acid, if present, is collected in a dry 



