SOME OF THE CAUSES AXD THEIR PREVEXTIOX 3.35 



tion, and if such butter is worked to the extent of iuoiding mot- 

 tles and thorough!}- incorporating the salt, there is danger 

 of the l)od\' being seriously affected and the butter ha\ang a 

 greasy or lard}- taste. 



Butter which has been well made and kept away from the light 

 when placed in storage will seldom, if ever, show a tallowy flavor. 



Metallic Flavors.- -A heavy loss is sustained b}- the butter 

 industry e^-er^- }-ear through metallic and fishy fla^-ors. There 

 does not seem to be a clear understanding between some butter 

 judges as to the distinction between these two classes of tla\-nrs. 

 Metallic tla^'or and fish}- flavor are two entireh- different things. 



Metallic flavor shows in the butter as soon as it is churned 

 and is invariably found in butter made from extremelv sour 

 cream, while fishy fla\-or develops in butter on standing. What 

 actually causes metallic fla\-or is not thoroughl}- understood, and 

 various causes have been assigned by dift'erent people. Metallic 

 butter has a pungent flavor, characteristic of the taste of metallic 

 salts. Many people are of the opinion that cream acquires a 

 metallic flavor by being shipped in rusty cans or coming in 

 contact with vats or coils from which a portion of the tin has 

 been removed. 



Certain creameries have reported that in some cases the first 

 churning from a \-at of cream is free from metallic flavor, while 

 this flavor is present in the second churning from the same vat. 

 This would seem to indicate that the fla\-or is due to the develop- 

 ment of some undesirable fermentation, or to bacterial action. 



The peculiar feature about metallic fla\-or is that it is a sea- 

 sonal condition; it comes and disappears. Heat seems to inten- 

 sify it or make it more pronounced. The authors have known 

 creameries that were troubled with metallic fla\'or which dis- 

 appeared when they discontinued pasteurization. Cream coming 

 in contact with vats, coils or cans from which the tin has been 

 remo^-ed ma}' develop a metallic flavor as a result of this. How- 

 e\-er, when we take into consideration that metalHc flavor is a 

 seasonal condition, the theory of rusty cans or the partial 

 remo\-al of tin from ^'ats or coils does not oft'er a complete explan- 

 ation, as creamer\-men use the san-ie cans and vats durimj the 



