Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-20
OLEOMARGARINH.
How ArtincisI Butter fs Made and II w
IL May he Detected.

How ArtincisI Butter II Made and II w
IL May ne Detceted.
The manufacture of artificial butter
or oleomargarine, IL is stated, was COM
menced in Paris during the siege by the
German army, when many OF the neces-
sary supplies of life were cut off from
the inhabitants. 1t is related that M.
Mege Mouriez, a chemist, was commits
stoned by the French government TO
make some researches, with view 10
obtain a product 10 take the place OF
butter, TO be supplied at much lower
price, and capable Of being kept without
becoming rancid.
nj. Mege mourieZ placed several
milch cows on a severe diet, which
quickly reduced them in weight, and
caused them to give a reduced quantity
of milk, but the milk always produced
butter, leaving still the query "W here
did it come from ?" He believed il was
produced from the fat of the animal,
which, being carried into the circulation,
was deprived of its stearine by respira-
tory combustion, and furnished its oleo-
margarine TO the cows udd6r, where,
under the influence OF the mammary
pepsin, il was changed into butyric
oleomargarine or butter. Guided by
this observation. he was not long in
obtaining, by an ingenious process,
from beef suet, fat fusible at nearly the
same temperature as butter, and of
agreeable taste. He then transformed
this same fat into butter by a process
similar to that of nature. This process
was by grinding up the fat OF the best
quality OF newly-slaughtered beeves be-
tween two cylinders, which falling into a
deep vat heated by steam, and contain
ing for every 200 kilogIammes of fat
200 kilogrammes Of water and one kilo-
gramme Of potassic carbonate, besides
I 80 Sleeps or pigs stomachs in pieces.
The temperature was raised To forty-iive
degrees, and the mass carefully stirred.
AT the end of two hours the fat all
raised TO the surface, when it was let of
into another vat, heated on a water
bath TO thirty degrees, and two per cent.
ofsea salt added. In two hours ii became
clear, and presented a yellow color and
the odor of freshly churned butter.
This becoming cooler, was cut into
cakes, packed in linen, and placed under
an hydraulic press, and then separated
into two nearly equal parts, viz,
stearine and liquid oleomargarine. The
stearine he manufactured into candles.
After cooling. the olcomargarIne was
passed through cylinders under shower
OF water 10 wash il and give ii consist
ence. The eoleomargarine was then made
into cheap butter in the following man.
ner: To fifty kiloerammes ofmelted oleo-
margarine, in Il churn, he added about
twenty-five litrcs (twenty six quarts) OF
cows milk, and twenty-five kilo-
grammcs Of water containing ten solu-
bic parts of 100 grains Of the mammary
~ "a oil
in motion, and in fifteen minutes the
grease and water became transformed
into thick cream, which. in turn, was
changed into butter. The churning be-
ing over, the butter was separated,
and the buttermilk removed, when
fresh water WAS poured in. This pro-
duct was then placed under "a stream of
water, where ii was worked In a way TO
change ii into artificial butter. When
carefully made il contains traces OF
membrane, and may also show crystals
of the stearates. 1t is colored with an
natto from saffron, which is sometimes
adulterated with sulphate of copper.
The secret of manu- featuring il was in.
troduced into this country in 1872 or
1873 by French chemist. named Paraff.
who formed n company in New York
ana made profitable business of il.
There are several ways of detecting
oleomargarine. One is by the micro
scope. The difference between it and
pure butter is shown at once under this
glass. Pure butter shows a mass of
globules similar in size and appearance,
with intermediate layers of salt and
water. OeomargaTine shows a mass of
what appears to be fan-shaped and
hbrous crystallizations entirely different
in character and appearance from butter
Professor De Smedt tests it ne follows
A piece of oleomargarine-thc size of a
walnut-is placed in a wine glass, and
ether poured on sufficient to cover and
dissolve it, which is hastened By stir
ring with teaspoon. The whole be-
comes soluble, but the salt is immedi-
ately precipitated, when the LIQUID mass
is poured off into a saucer, or what is
better, "A small glass plate or saucer.
The work of evaporization begins at
once, and continues until every trace of
the ether is gone. leaving the stearine
or tallowy substance openly exposed,
with its offensive odor and appearance.
The character or appearance of good
butter is not changed by n similar test,
the fatty substance left aft'r the evap-
0rization of the ether retaining the odor
Of pure butter, totally unlike that of the
stearine from oleomargar1ne. This
test Professor DE Smedt thinks better
and every way more satisfactory than
by the microscope. As general thing,
however. any person used TO marketing
can satisfy themselves. from the greasy
smell of the artificial butter, of its char
acter. Ii Is not. rs "A general thing, so
dense rs pure butter. and usually has u
whitish appearance on the outside.