PRESERVATIVE IN BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 287, 28 August 1908, Page 3

PRESERVATIVE IN BUTTER.

DOES IT WASH OUT? It is a point of considerable importance to dairy factory manager's to know with certainty whether any portion of the preservative in butter comes out in the wash-water. It is hold by some authorities in New Zealand that if Jib. of .preservative (boric acid and boras) is added to 1001b. of butter, about half of the preservative'comes out in the wash-water, .leaving only Jib. per cent, remaining. This view is assailed by the Sydney "Daily Telegraph," which holds that because this, form of preservative is insoluble in -water, none of it' washes out. \i o quote tho "Telegraph's" reference:— "Complaints formerly heard about the excessive use of preservative in locally-manu-factured butter are becoming fewer as time goes on. Factory managers hold that tho improvement is due, not to tho strong • objection raised by'buyers in the English market against tho introduction of any chemical agent" but to tho spread of knowledge among manufacturers. It is stated that the trouble lay largely in the fact that a number of factory .managers believed that .chemical preservative and common salt were in action and character. In the washing of the butter.it was thought that an eoual quantity of preservative would be carried away as is the case when'salt is used. This, of course, is a fallacy, boric acid not being readily dissoluble in water. Many butter makers in < tho endeavour to safeguard the product 01 the factories and ensure its keeping qualities, made a' practice of adding more . than the 'customary J per cent., believing that a considerable portion would be lost in the washing. The result was that complaints ■ were frequently heard both in the' Home and foreign market. In a good many cases it appeared that the farmer'in the first place had: added a small quantity of the boric compound to bis cream; and then^ the factory manager later on would do his-share. A\hen this occurred ■ the butter usually found an unsympathetic market in England. l -The ovil of such a practice was strikingly illustr:itecl'| not very long ago.. A quantity of butter was purchased for export to tho German, market, a country where a rigorous embargo has \been placed on preservatives in any shape or form. Tho butter was submitted'by'the factory as containing absolutely - no' preservative. It was bought, on such representation, but upon an analysis being: made it- was found to carry a small percentage of chemical,\aiid was consequently refused. -Naturally 'an inquiry was instigated at this end, and-it was. discovered' that-a .dairyman had introduced a modest sprinkling of preservative into, each bi-weekly ' consignment of cream.\ it is recognised by the factories of New . South Wales that-time is not very dis-tant-when :most importing countries will _ interdict the use of all forms of preservative. This unquestionably will place a great handicap on Australia. Sho will be forced to ship ,her product to distant markets under exactly similar conditions and.-regulations governing countries within a few days' journey of London, and which do not labomvunder the disadvantages of high summer temperatures and scattered settlements." ■ .. A Wellington agricultural chemist, m discussing tho point .with a Dominion, reporter expressed the opinion that part of tho preservative would certainly bo lost in the wash-, water. As a matter of fact, the borax and; boric acid preservative wore necessarily to some extent soluble, for if they were not they would not preserve tho butter,' because it could not be sufficiently distributed. The Government : analyses of New Zealand butter have-usually shown "it to contain from .2 to .3 per cent, 'of preservative.' What is needed is a .test in which the exact amount added would be manufacture would be', ascertained by chomis-. try Perhaps' the 'Government--chemist ' 'may think'''the irtfrtb' sofife" 1 attialti6ii?''