MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8140, 23 June 1906, Page 2

MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

At Wednesday's sitting of the Dairj Conference at Palmerslon North, thi Dairy Comruissionor, (Mr J. A. Kin sella) read a paper on the Control o Moisture in Butter, and the effects o the Water Contents on the Kcopini Quality." Tlie producers, he said being the people whom this qucstioi will eventually effect most, should eon sidcr with the utmost care and judg ment the wisdom, or otherwise o making any rash changes in our pre sent system of manufacture, with : view to increasing the water content of our butter. Particularly shouli that be so when it was known that th addition of more moisture than the; were at presont incorporating in' th butter had oulv a slight, and, In thought he was right in saying, a torn porary increase in the profits to th producer to recommend itself, and tha temporary increase in profit at ver; serious risk of deterioration in lh'< qu ility. The standard water eonten of butter recommended ir England and which was likely to become lafl under the new Butter Bill, was 16 poi oont. As yet no standard had beer fWoi in the colony, but there was i limit or minimum fixed for butter fal of-80 per cent., anl a Bill had beci drifted just rece itly increasing the s,tan dird to 8,3 percent. Buttep withoul salt or some other preservative would not maintain its flavor, nor keep foi any great length of time, particularly when held at ordinary temperatures but the'keeping quality was largelj lependent on the amount of moisture and the quality or purity of the watei incorporated in the butter. Buttoi n'hi.:li contained a large water content, m.l which was stored for any lengthy period, was bound to deteriorate, paricularly if the wator incorporated was lot puro. Under the Dairy Industry ict, 189S, butter must not be made iroin other than whole milk or cream, ind the regulations under the Act n ide it compuhqry fop butter to be U'lnnfaoturod and made in duly regisiered and approved promises. It vould, then, appear that when a good nnest butter was mado from whole nilk or cream, in duly registered iremises, in oomplianoe with the law, md was sold and shipped to other larts of the colony where it was so tented aud manipulated that the water ontent was greatly increased by irlificial means, for the purpose of inancial gain on the part of the aanipulator from a commercial standloint only.'such a practice could only ic characterised as fraud.