MASTER OF THE FUTURE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 270, 4 February 1928, Page 19

MASTER OF THE FUTURE

PART PLAYED BY CHEMIST EXPANSION OF INDUSTRY WAIKATO EMPIRE CONTRIBUTION rW ZEALAND supplies* the Mother Country with one-third of her total importations of butter, in addition to half the cheese imported annually into Britain. Waikato is, therefore, very appropriately named the “Dairy Farm of the Empire,” because this district is undoubtedly the Dominion’s most valuable asset in the wealth providing dairying industry. This dual performance gives New Zealand definite pride of place as the greatest dairy produce exporting country in the world to-day.

t»DT not only does New Zealand lead D jjj e world in supplying the British B irket with the largest quantity; she jlso leads in the quality of that cheese. These dual titlee have been won from [he sister Dominion of Canada in the course of the last * ew strenuous „easons, and to the Waikato district Bust be awarded credit for the part played in this gigantic struggle. P' o r many years Canada led the world in both fields. With a full realisation, however, of the importance of quality, attention has been concentrated in New Zealand upon improvement until the point has been reached whan definite evidence is arailable that so far as Cheddar cheese is concerned the New Zealand product is the hall-mark of excellence upon the British market. A* the biggest producer of cheese in the Dominion, the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., has assisted very materially in this improvement by laboratory research and practical experiments. KEYNOTE OF EXISTENCE The dairy industry has been built up on chemistry. New Zealand’s experience has been the same as that ot every other country iu the world. Chemistry is the very keynote of its eiistence. While the process of manulacture in the main dairy products is standardised upon a definite commercial basis, nevertheless at every stage there is need for chemical control and investigation to prevent loss. The laboratory stops the leakages of fractions. It locates and isolates objectionable bacteria. It suggests preventive measures to ensure a fineconditioned raw product. It cultivates beneficial bacteria and harnesses tnem to profitable work in the dairy industry. Isolated malpractices checked I on toe part of those who would defraud their fellow co-operators. It supervises the analysis of sample good- before purchase. The producer and the consumer are protected by maintaining an exact standard of quality in all manufactured products. It undertakes research work in connection with the profitable utilisation of by-products. In a word, the laboratory is at once the detective who stops business leakages, and the constructive scientific brain suggesting improvements and developments for the more efficient technical management of the business. The first duty of the laboratory is to check the accuracy of manufacture —to see that the raw material supplied by the farmer is manufactured so as to yield its full return of marketable produce without loss. To discharge this function the laboratory undertakes a wide supervision. Testing of the suppliers’ milk and cream falls primarily upon this department. Frequent checks are next made of the factory butter-milk to see that no undue proportion of available butter-fat is being lost in this direction. Each factory manager is particularly keen to check himself up on unseen losses, and periodic samples are tendered to keep tally of that important subject, the over-run. After supervising the accuracy of manufacture the chemist turns his attention to the quality of-the finished Products to ensure that they attain the company's standard of quality and » re At to carry “Anchor" reputation to the world's markets. This check applies to butter, cheese, milk powder and to casein. Samples of the finished butter are sent into the chemist periodically and analysed for moisture, salt, and preThese results are checked with the factory tests, and any discrepaacy immediately investigated, checking the moisture content of butter is considered a very serious matjer. The legal limit is 16 per cent., and 11 * s ifi® chemist’s duty in the interests of the company and the public to see that this limit is not exceeded. Equally 11 is his duty in the interests of the Producer to see that a full appro :mation of the legal standard is secured.

How important this is may be gauged from the fact that a deficiency of five per cent, moisture on the company’s output of butter in one season would have meant a loss of £IB,OOO to the producer. The checking of the percentage of salts Is important, too, because different markets require a different degree of salting as tastes in this respect vary. The analysis- for preservative is also very important, as certain countries object to the presence of preservative, although it has been definitely established that the keeping quality, freshness and flavour of export butter are improved by its presence. The steady improvement in the company’s standardised “Anchor” butter throughout the last few years has been remarkable. The feat of manufacturing standardised butter of the same character consistent in flavour and texture, in 13 different factories, situated in widely separated districts, 'ias only been made possible by the possession of a central laboratory devoting skilled attention to systematising the details of manufacture, quality and proportion of ingredients. A remarkable improvement has also been effected in the quality of the

company’s cheese. The principal factor in this has been the supply of pure starter cultures to each of the company's 15 cheese factories. Hitherto bottles of starter culture powder had been purchased and supplied to factories, when required, right through the season. But the development of the company’s own “masterstarter” has been so satisfactory that starter powder has been quite discontinued. It is recognised that the development of this pure master starter culture by the laboratory has had a very important effect in building up and maintaining the uniform flav— in recent seasons. THE LEGAL LIMIT From an economic point of view a standard moisture content iu cheese is desirable as affecting the yield and the return to the supplier. There is a legal limit governing the constituents of cheese, and the nearer this is attained the better return is secured the producer. The “ratio” of cheese made to the pound of buttftr-fat is a most important matter to the supplier. The dried milk industry has been made possible only by chemical skill. For its successful operation it is entirely dependent upon the laboratory. This industry aims to utilise the skim milk after the fat has been exracted and used for butter making. The skim milk is therefore a by-pro-duct, and for its production to be

payable it is necessary to obtain a high /ield.

To this end periodic samples of milk from the various districts where manufacture is engaged in are analysed to determine the content of milk solids, and so reveal the maximum yield that should be obtained from those milks. A comparison is then made with the amount of powder actually obtained, and a check is kept upon the efficiency of manufacture. In the case of full cream powder which may be sold with a guaranteed percentage of fat, the supplier is protected by care being taken to see that no more than the due amount of fat is incorporated. In the production of casein, another by-product of the industry, important work is again done by the laboratory. Samples of casein dried from curds sent in by each individual factory are analysed in the laboratory to assist in obtaining a uniform product. In this product, as with dried milk, the question of “yield” is of supreme important, because payment is made upon but' -fat and the yield o. byproducts must bear a relationship to the basis upon which payment is made. Experiments are being carried on by he laboratory by which it is expected

a large increase in the yield of casein will be obtained, this fact being of great monetary value to the company’s casein department. To c nduct any industry efficiently it is essential that all possible byproducts shall be utilised. At present that is not being done in the dairy industry. The only way it ever will be accomplished will be by concentrating upon research work and economical production. The chemist is the master of the future.

Upon his work will depend the success of the whole industry, the progress or failure of every farmer who is on the border line of profitable roduetion. Every advance made by the chemist in increasing the returns of the industry widens the area that may profital'y be devoted to this industry. Future developments hin not only upon the recovery of milk butter-powder, but upon the profitable use of whey from both casein and cheese precipitation. Both of these articles contain large amounts of milk sugar, albumen and other ingredients. Both commodities can be recovered chemically, and will be as soon as commercial factors warrant.

The important factor in all such development is fuel costs, and by the acquisition and development of its own coal mine this company is well equipped for any such enterprises when conditions warrant in the future.