GRADING OF CREAM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4482, 20 October 1922, Page 1

GRADING OF CREAM.

(W. Dempster, Dairy Instructor, Hamilton, in the Journal of Agriculture.)

The following are a few in cream which are easily recognised, together with their causes : (1) Stale: This flavour, is caused by keeping cream too long in unsuitable, place; neglecting to cool cream; mixing hot and cold cream together, skimming too thin and not stirring. A small quantity of this cream will flavour a whole vat, and is always graded second-grade. (2.) Maori bug: This is a smell much like that which a Maori bug emits when disturbed or crushed. A little of this cream will flavour a whole vat. It may be caused by the separator and tinware not Leipg properly washed and scalded, yellowish slime forming On the tinware. Often a cloth more or less impregnated with the same slime is used for the strainer and for scrubbing. The flavour is accentuated by mixing hot and cold cream. Such cream should always be graded second, and in bad cases should be returned. (3.) Fermented: Such cream is full of gas holes, sometimes as large as a shilling. It often works like yeast, and overflows the cans, Causes may be putting cream into' 1 cans which have previously held milk and have not been properly cleansed and scalded ; neglect to cool cream; mixing hot and cold cream; keeping cream too long. Such cream is always secondgrade. - (4.) Tallowy: The cream smells and tastes like tallow. The flavour is caused by washing the bowl of the separator with slimes in it, then washing tinware in same water; putting cream into a warm, can pr standing the cream in sun; contamination from sheep skins on harness in dairy; washing the separator only opce daily. (5.) Curdy or cheesy: This is a taste resembling bad cheese. The causes are skimming too thin and not. cooling; taking up taints from stores in the dairy, or oil and spilt milk on the separator stand ; bad ventilation ; keeping cream too long without stirring.

(6.) Sour: The cream tastes sour to a disagreeable extent, but this may not be due to lactic acid. The causes are skimming too thin and not cooling ; keeping the cream fob long on the farm in a warm atmosphere; the presence of sour skim-milk barrels in close proximity to where the cream is kept.

(7.) Milking-machine : .This, flavour is caused through not cleaning fibbers, vacuum-tank, pipes,, and releaser, or from perished rubbers.

(8.) Kerosene and benzine : Flavour caused by having the separator or releaser bucket in the engine rpom •, kerosene and benzine stored in dairy; smoky kerbsene lamps ; exhaust from the engine not carried to leeward; using benzine tins as buckets ; using roof-water for washing utensils.

(9.) Carbolic : Flavour caused by using disinfectants in the shed or on cows,' teats. (10.) Metallic: Flavour caused by ci:eam being put into rusty cans, or rusty tinware coming into contact with milk.

(11.) Ropy: The cream lifts in strings. Caused by unhealthy cow Or cows drinking stagnant water. (12.) Rancid: Caused by chemical changes broughty.about through lack of cleanliness and high temperature, causing a third-grade cream.

(13.) Buttercup: This flavour is prevalent in early spring. The flavour is bitter, resembling that of radish, and is sharp and pungent to the nose. The cream is'generally of a high' colour. (14.) Watercress: This is an acetic acid flavour, dull and pungent to the nose, and is more troublesome in autumn.

(15.) Pennyroyal; An easily detected flavour, smelling like pennyroyal. (16.) Turnips and rape: Very objectionable flavours imparted by these feeds.

(17.) Cowy: Due to using milk too soon after the cow has calved. May also be due to bad drainage in the cowshed or to unhealthy cows.

(18.) Musty: Caused by cream being kept in a .wooden building with no ventilation, dr by decaying timber in the separator room.