The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 1927. A TIMELY WARNING.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10313, 24 January 1927, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 1927. A TIMELY WARNING.

Within twelve months—to he precise on January Ist of next year—the British Government will commence to enforce regulations prohibiting the use of boric acid as a preservative in butter. This is a matter which should have the immediate attention of the Dairy Control Board. In Australia, the dairy produce authorities have already issued a warning to factory managers to the effect that they must not use boric acid in the manufacture of butter after July 1 next. What is pointed out is that no butter so preservatised will be purchased by traders in the Homeland during .some weeks before the enforcement of the restrictions: hence the need for fixing July 1 as the latest date on which boric acid should be used in the making of butter. On this important question, a special report has, it would seem, been prepared for the Commonwealth dairy branch by Mr. Carroll, the supervisor of the experts of the Department, He points out that, since the commencement of the export trade in butter from Australia boric acid has been used and, in his opinion, its prohibition will remove a prop upon which, rightly or wrongly, a great deal of dependence has been placed by manufacturers within the Commonwealth. The removal of this prop, he ventures to think, will leave a weakness in the industry’s armour which nifty liftvg serious consequences unless steps be taken immediately to repair it. What will devolve upon the factories after July 1 will be to manufacture butter of the highest standard, and possessed of keeping properties, without the aid of chemical preservatives. As he points out, to do this two things will be essential effective pasteurisation and prevention of contamination afterwards. With careful manufacturing methods and cold storage from the moment of manufacture to delivery overseas, there need not he serious disadvantages through the discontinuance of the use of preservatives. The use of boric acid in butter-mak-ing was designed to prevent the development of bacteria and in abolishing this deterrent effective methods of pasteurisation will be needed to achieve the same results. Properly pasteurised cream is devoid of bacteria, and the water used in buttermaking should be similarly treated to prevent reinfection. The pasteurisation is effective when factories are dealing with fresh supplies of cream derived from whole milk separated on the spot. Some dairying districts, however, are so far., removed from butter factories that farmers are for-

ced to send their cream to the .factory a considerable distance, and it is often two days old on reaching the

factory. The thorough pasteurisation of such cream is much more difficult and it is almost impossible to ensure its effectiveness in preventing germ growths. The new regulation, therefore, will he more severely felt by factories serving large areas than bv those in intensely cultivated areas. In spite of the new restrictions, it is probable that some butter containing boric acid will still be made, as an outlet would be afforded by the requirements of tinners shipping ‘butter to the East. hor this trade what is termed preservatised butter is preferred to that containing no acid. It is, of course, well known tlnlt some other countries have long discontinued the use of preservatives in ‘butter. Australia and New Zealand now require to fall into line.