WITHOUT CHURNS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 102, 27 October 1945, Page 9

WITHOUT CHURNS

NEW BUTTER PROCESS

GERMAN INNOVATIONS

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

LONDON, October 26. Butter making without a churn is one of the latest developments in the dairy industry. New methods, known as continuous processing, have been perfected'with machinery which saves labour and occupies less factory space than churns and reduces over-all costs. Such processes are being closely'examined in Australia, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, and Germany. ' Two distinct methods we're investigated in Germany during the recent visit by Mr. Frank Taylor, New Zealand dairy inspector in London, Dr.T. E. Coop, New1 Zealand scientific: liaison officer, and Dr. J. A. B. Smith, of Hannah Dairy" Research Institute, at Ayr, Scotland. At the Kiel Dairy Research Institute in the famous Schles-wig-Holstein district; and at the Weihenstephan research station near Munich they learnt that the Germans are using processes known as the Alfa and Fritz with considerable success.

The Alfa process, developed at Kiel, is a phase conversion of cream to butter. The milk is first separated and the constituency of the, resultant cream is 78 per cent, of butterfat,-20 per cent, of water, and 2 per cent, of solids which are not fats. This cream is heated and suddenly chilled, the temperature falling by 50 degrees Centigrade. The effect is to transform it from an emulsion of fat in water to one of water in fat, or butter, which is unsalted. There is no residue of buttermilk, the cream entering at one point of the machine and butter being discharged from the other. There is no contact with air or water during this process. ,' .-..". ,

The Fritz method, which originated at the Weihenstephan research station, differs in principle. Cream with 40 per cent, to 50 per cent, butterfat is passed through a cylinder in which blades are rotating at 3000 revolutions a minute. In a second and a half the cream is separated into butter and buttermilk, the butter being carried automatically into a chamber where the buttermilk runs off and from which the butter is discharged into packing machines. Fritz machines capable of producing two tons of butter an hour are operating in Germany. ,

REPORT TO NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT.

It is claimed by the Germans who have installed 60 Fritz and 12 Alfa plants in their dairying districts, that these new processes give an improved type of butter. Both Mr. Taylor and Dr. Coop reserved their opinion as to whether this improvement would apply to New Zealand if the machinery were introduced there. They feel that several trials would be necessary before the German claim could be substantiated. It is certain, however, that this typeof butter-making without churns is attracting considerable attention in the dairying world. It is known that the Danes, in addition to Great Britain and other countries in which the new methods have been introduced, are watching developments with close attention.

Developments are taking place in both Sweden and Switzerland, which may require close attention on the part of New Zealand. Dr. Coop, who will shortly: return' to New Zealand, has combined with Mr. Taylor and Dr. Smith in producing a report for the New Zealand Government.

Another development which interested the visitors is the use of ultraviolet rays for the pasteurisation of milk in the cold. The New Zealanders and Dr. Smith, however, consider that further tests are required before the Germans' high opinion of this, method can be confirmed. Further trials are being conducted in Germany, and are being watched with interest. Hitherto successful ultra-violet ray pasteurisation has been complicated by the opacity of milk, which withstood penetration by the rays. The German method is to pass the milk through long lengths of quartz tubing to ensure that the milk is. thoroughly penetrated from all angles. ; .■ . The Germans claim that, in addition to successful pasteurisation, vitamin D is added during the process, increasing the food value of the milk for children.

Inquiry into German cheese production showed that though they have evolved at least two interesting and1 ingenious- processes for the rapid conversion of milk into cheese, these would not be suitable for application to New Zealand. In other fields of dairy research, such as physiology and animal health, it was found that Germany is behind both' the United Kingdom and the United States. ■■