FROM CHURN TO PACKAGE 145 



and in the .systematic use of a reliable moisture test." 

 Raitt ^ found from a study of 175 churnings, that the 

 moisture-content of butter can be controlled very closely 

 by working it in the presence of water under normal 

 temperatures. The control and the incorporation of mois- 

 ture in butter are largely processes of properly mixing 

 water and butter. The operator must observe care in 

 maintaining reasonable temperatures so that the butter 

 will be waxy ; he must know the amount of butter in the 

 churn ; and he must employ the moisture test consistently. 

 One of the many methods of controlling the amount 

 of moisture in butter is as follows : 



1. After the butter has been washed and the water is 

 drawn off, revolve the churn four or five times with the 

 workers in gear, stopping each time so that the doors are 

 on the under side of the churn, so that the remaining 

 water will run out. The churn doors should be fastened 

 loosely to permit the water to pass out and still retain 

 the butter. Many churns do not drain dry unless handled 

 in this way. 



2. Make a moisture determination. It is necessary to 

 work the butter a few revolutions of the churn, as directed 

 in step 1, for a representative sample is difficult to obtain 

 immediately after washing. 



3. Compute the amount of water necessary to bring 

 the moisture in the butter to a certain standard. For 

 example, there are 900 pounds fat in the churn, which at 

 20 per cent over-run amounts to 1080 pounds of butter. 

 The preliminary test shows 13.5 per cent moisture in the 

 butter and 15.5 per cent is desired. The difference be- 

 tween these two tests is 2 per cent. The butter, which is 



' Raitt, J. A., Moisture Control in Butter, Thesis in Cornell 

 Univ. Library, 1915. 



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