The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-01-24 00:00:00

THE ADULTERATION OF BUTTER.

In London, on Saturday evening, at ~meeting of the
Society of Medical Officers of Health, held at the Set-
tints Corporation Hall, under the presidency of lit.
Hardwicke, a paper was read by Dr. C. Meymott Tidy
upon " Butter and its Adulterations."
Dr. Tidy said th it butter was generally prepared
from cream collected from time to time and allowed to
get slightly sour. It was then churned, or, in other
words, nririidly stirred. The best temperature for
churning was from 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and
hence meet churns had an outside vessel either t warm
or cool the apparatus as it appeared necessary.
Camping should net be to, slow, or the flavour of
the butter would be entirely deetroyed, nor too fast, or
the batter would be soft and frothy. Butter was
also made from fresh cream and from entire milk.
This should stand until it was soar, and then be churned
at a higher temperature than cream—namely, tiO
degrees. More butter was obtained from entire milk
than from cream' but there was more work in the
churning and it took longer. Milk on an average
yielded from 45 to 5.5 per cent, of butter, and it might
be roughly stated that a cow yielded about one pound
of butter daily. It was next taken out of the churn
and washed with water, so am to get out the adherent
whey. That operation was important, se the butter
would otherwise decompose more rapidly. It was then
salted, about 4 per cent, of salt being a fair quantity to
be added. The amount of /tsarina, oline, and paimatine
in the composition of butter was practically nit. The
first adulteration of butter was water. Let them dry
100 grains of pure butter in a weighed capsule for several
hours at 220 degrees Fahrenheit, and from 5 to 8 per
cent, of water would be produced. Water was incor-
porated with the butter chiefly when it was in a semi-
solid state, and also by beating out and sprinkling.
He had been able tins to incorporate 28 per cent, of
water with but:er. Out of 130 samples of butter pur-
chased at different shops in Kentyseven contained from
to 9 per cent, of water. 21 from 9 to 10 per cent.,
34 from 10 to 13 per cent., 42 from 14 to 17 per cent.,
17 from 18 to 24 per cent, and nine over 25 per cent.
Thus water might become a very serious adulteration
of butter. It was his practice when analyzing
butter in his capacity as public analyist to state
in his certificate the amount of water if over
10 per cent., and to leave the magistrate to draw
his own conclusion. The next adulteration was salt.
To trace this they should incinerate the remainder
of the 100 grace used for drying. In 12 speci-
mens of undoubtedly pure butter, the average amount
of salt traceable was 51 per cent. and out of 27 samples
of butter indiscriminately purchised he found that two
contain/ d less than 3 per cent, of salt, two between 3
and 4 per cent., three between 4 and 5 per cent., four
, between Sand 6 per cent. ten between 6 and? per
' cent. two between 7 and 8 per cent., one between 8
and 9 per cent., two 10 per cent., and one 17 per cent.
Over 7 per cent, of salt be considered exceesive. Adul.
teratlon was also produced by the incorporation with
, butter of dripping, lard, suet, and other fats. These
aould not be alined with butter when they were in a
melted state, but only when they were cold, and
hence the mixtures were r ever perfect. The fats,
unlike real butter, contained stearine, palmatine,
!kr., in considerable amount. To trace the presexce
of these fats let them note the melting and solidify-
ing points. Butter melted upon an average at 75
degrees, and solidified at 6:3, dripping melted at
795, and acidified at .72.5, and suet melted at 82,
and solidified at 75. Another test was the taste. The
taste of real butter could be detected even when it had
been most extensively mixed. Pure butter melted
quick' y on the tongue, and there was no sense of granu.
fat ion, but when adulterated with other fats it melted
far more slowly, and a peculiar granulated feeling in
the mouth was produced as the last few grains disap-
peared. The odours of butter and of dripping were
easily distinguishable, but the smell of lard when
mixed with butter was not so soon detected. Good
butter was generally of a rich yellow colour, entirely
uniform, but when adulterated the colour was very
much paler, and it was marbled, owing to the imper-
Ifeet admixture of other fats. He regarded streaky
butter generally with suspicion. In good butter a uni-
form surface was produced by passing a clean knife
rapidly over it, but impure butter had a granular ap-
pearance. Dr. Tidy concluded by deAcribiug other lint
more technical ways of detecting bad hater, such as
the act ion of ether and the t 1.16 of the mierascopc with
polarized light.
At the instance of Dr. Ilardwicke, the society passed
a cordial vote of thanks to Dr. Tidy for his interesting
I remark. on so Important • subject.
IA ,hort discusdon ensued, In which Dr. Stevenson,
Dr. Bernitys, and Dr. fripe joined, and the general
con, buskins o; the lecturer were confirmed. Dr.
Bernays ohs, rved that from 5 to 6 per cent, of water
undoubted*, improved butter, and the additiOn of more
I than 7 per cent of salt would render it uneatable.
When in a bn. ter of is. per iimind he found no less
than 2.2: per cent, of salt and water he could not think
it cheap at the price.
I Tne meeting then terminated.