SALTING AND WORKING OF BUTTER. 263 
Gritty Butter— ‘Gritty butter’’ is a familiar phrase used 
by expert butter-scorers to indicate that part of the salt is 
present in an undissolved condition. To most consumers this 
condition of the salt in butter is objectionable. When properly 
incorporated, salt should be present in the form of a solution 
in the butter. The gritty condition of the salt in butter may 
be due to (1) poor condition of the salt before it is added to 
the butter; (2) adding so much salt that it cannot be dis- 
solved by the water in the butter. The maximum amount 
of salt that butter will dissolve depends upon the amount of 
moisture present. The maximum amount of moisture per- 
missible in butter, as limited by law, is 16%. The condition 
of the water in butter prevents the water from being saturated 
with salt during the comparatively short time allowed for salt 
to dissolve during the manufacture of butter. (3) Insufficient 
working. If the butter is not worked enough to distribute 
the salt evenly, some portion of the butter will contain more 
than the other portions. The portion that contains the excess 
of salt does not have enough moisture to dissolve the salt; 
while if the salt had been evenly distributed in the butter, all 
the salt would have been properly dissolved. When gritty 
butter is caused by insufficient working, it usually mottles. 
Mottled Butter.—Mottled butter is butter which is uneven 
in color. This unevenness in color may be due to several 
different causes. It may be due to specks of curd (speckled 
butter), and it may be due to certain organisms (dappled 
butter). These causes of mottled butter are not very com- 
mon in factories where the manufacture of butter is properly 
carried on. 
The most common fault of mottled butter is the improper 
incorporation of salt and the presence of an excessive amount 
of buttermilk. Mottled butter caused in this way is com- 
mon. It would be of much commercial importance if it were 
possible to prevent its occurrence. In case all the water 
had been saturated with salt, and there is still undissolved 
salt left, then the granular or undissolved salt will cause no 
