STREAKY BUTTER.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXII, Issue 2784, 1 May 1911, Page 3

STREAKY BUTTER.

SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERT'S

VIEWS

In the course of a lecture, Mr Challis, the South African State dairy expert, said : 1 There are two distinct kinds of streaks in butter, viz., caseous streaks, always readily recognised by the streaks themselves being much whiter in colour than the butter itself, and dark streaks, caused by the uneven distribution of the salt and subsequent insufficient working. Both streaks of this nature give the buttei a mottled appearance, and are very objectionable from a market point ot view, such butter usually realising a | very much lower price than if no streaks I were present. Butter containing caseous streaks should always be looked upon with suspicion from a keeping point ot view, so we will enumerate some of the causes which produce these streaks: (i) Neglect to btir the cream frequently, especially when mixing different creams together, thus causing uneven ripening. (2) Exposing cream to direct "sunlight. (3) Churning at a high temperature, and subsequently using the first washing water at too low a temperature. (4) Neglect to remove the buttermilk from the butter by

insufficient washing. (5) Neglect to

strain the cream, especially it same is thin and over-ripe, as such cream usually contains caseous lumps or curds, which if not removed ai*e bound to appear in the resulting butter in the form of white specks.

Another reason for straining cream,

apart from removing extraneous matter, is the breaking up of any lumps which may be in the cream, which, if churned i

in this state, not only cause a loss in the butter yield, but also cause unevenness

in colour.

Salt streaks are the most common,

and at the same time most easily remedied. When adding dry salt to butter, this should be done by means of a hair sieve or flour dredger, as the salt when added in this way is more evenly distributed, and all lumps are avoided. The salt should not all be added at one time, but be sprinkled on the butter somewhat gradually. After sufficient salt has been added according to market requirements, and worked into the butter, the butter should be put away, for a few hours to allow the salt to dissolve, and then be reworked. . , . In winter the salt takes longer to dissolve, but at the same time the butter being firmer, will stand more working, which to a certain extent obviates this difficulty. To facilitate the salt dis-

solving jn cold weather, it may be slightly warmed before being used.