82 MODERN BUTTER MAKING. 



have found that the average acidity to which whole 

 milk cream was ripened was about .55 to .64 per cent 

 and the acidity to which hand separator cream was 

 ripened was about .50 to .55 per cent. This agrees 

 with my own experience in practical creamery but- 

 ter making. Over-ripening is the cause of much of 

 the poor butter now on the market, and it should be 

 guarded against. 



109. Ripening mixed sweet and sour cream. Bet- 

 ter results can be obtained by ripening mixed cream 

 faster thap if it were all sweet. This can be accom- 

 plished by adding a heavy starter — not by raising 

 the ripening temperature in order to hasten the 

 ripening process. Mixed sweet and sour cream easily 

 develop coarse flavors and for this reason high 

 ripening or over-ripening must be guarded against. 

 Pasteurizing such cream lessens the danger of the 

 development of coarse flavors and when it is pas- 

 teurized the ripening process can be carried on in 

 about the same way as if it were all sweet cream. 

 Mixed cream especially when tainted is very much 

 improved by pasteurization and by frequent stirring 

 during ripening. 



110. Using large or small starter in cream. When 

 all other conditions are right the larger the per 

 cent of starter added to cream the faster it will 

 ripen. The ripening temperature must be lower 

 than when a small starter is used and the cream 

 must be cooled before it has reached the desired 

 acidity in order to prevent its becoming over-ripe 

 and to guard against acid flavors and coarse aroma 

 in the butter. On the other hand the smaller the 



