St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-05
FROM BEEF FAT TO BUTTER.
The Process of Transformntion i'm
an OIeOmRr garIne Factory.

The Process of Transformnt;on i'm
an OIeOmRrsarine Factory.
Boston Globe:
Brighton boasts one of the largest and
beSt-arranged Oleomargarine factories in
New England. Fresh beef fat and suet.
obtained at the abattOirS, is first placed in
pure spring water. of a temperature of
SIS Fahrenheit, and thoroughly washed
and freed from animal heat, the water
being changed several times. 1t remains
in the water tanks from twelve to twenty
hours, and is then thrown upon benches,
where PARTICLES of meat and tissue adher-
ing to it are removed with sharp knives,
and the pure fat cut into small pieces. 1t
is then put IN jiggerS-large boxes on
wheels-and carried TO the haSherS, where
it is reduced 10 fine pulp. From these it
Is carried. by means of slide. to set of
huge jacket kettles, capable of containing
about 1,S00 pounds each. \ jacket kettle
is kettle within 4 kettle. The space be-
tween the two is filed with water, and the
latter heated by steam to 1909 Fahrenheit.
The fat however. is never allowed to reach
a higher temperature than 1888 lest its
sweet principle of glycerine should be de-
stroyed. In each of the jacket kettles is an
upright shaft, with arms or paddles, which
Is kept revolving while the kettle is being
filled, thus keeping the fat in constant mo-
ton while it is being melted. About two
hours after the kettles are full the shafts
are raised and the fat is allowed to settle
for about an hour. The oil is then drawn
Off-by what are known as draw pipes
into another set of kettles, and the serap
or TISSUE is run off, by trough, to tallow
tanks in another department OF the factory.
In the second set of kettles. the oil is sub
jected to a slightly higher temperature and
allowed 10 settle. When perfectly clear it
is run OFF into coolers or seeding tanks
where it remains from thirty-siX to forty
hours. The process which takes place in
these tanks is the separation of the partic-
les of stearine from the oil or OleOmargarine.
Ii is then stirred up, and in a liquid form
resembling light-colOred butter and olive
oil miXed-wrapped in canvas cloths,
about ~ pounds to each cloth. Eight
hundred of these packages are thus placed
in the press composed of fifty iron plates,
one above the other) and subjected to q
hydraulic pressure of 355 tons to the
square inch. The oil or OleOmargarine
flows through the canvas in amber-cOlOred
streams, into large tank from which it is
drawn OF into tierces. 1t then closely re-
Sembles melted tallOw. but is without flavor.
The steaTine which remains in the canvas
is used principally for hardening lard. The
500 packages. weighing about one ton,
yield from LOGO to LOO barrels of oil,
aud from 500 to 400 pounds of stearine.
The pressing takes about one hour. The
tallOw made from the trimmings and from
the first set of kettles is placed in tanks
and rendered. 1t is sold to leather dreSSers
and soap manufacturers, and the scraps.
,.rf, fof, 10 inf brrora nh
excellent food for hens and hogs. To pro-
duce more perfect butter, the oleOmargar-
inc, as previously described, is placed in a
churn, together with about 81 per cent of
pure, rich milk, and portion of sweet
cream or line creamery butter. Such
eoloring as is largely used in the best
creameTieS ard diaries is also added. 1t is
perfectly simple and harmless. being made
from the best salad oils, and the color of
annato seed. Ii is then churned about
thirty minutes at the same speed as Ordin-
airy ehurning. and. when the parts are
thoroughly Incorporated il is drawn into a
large tank of pure spring water. as nearly
ice cold as possible. The cold water trans
forms the mass into the natural consist
ency of dairy butter. and it is removed from
the surface of the water by huge scoops
II is then placed in refrigeTatOrS, where it
dDOul lNGGll-lout uDulS. TIE
whole mass meanwhile taking UP the
flavor of fine dairy butter. II is then salt
ed, like dairy butter. and passed through
large workers. which thoroughly distribute
the salt and free the bntter from any unde-
SiTable amount of water or milk il may con-
tain. 1t is then packed i'm firkins. OF
various sizes. and is ready for market The
process was invented by HippOlyte Mege
in 1878. 1t was the result of iuveStlga-
tons ordered by the French government in
hopes of obtaining a cheap and wholesome
substitute for butter. 1t will keep much
longer than dairy butter, and is very large
~ used at sea. being frequently purchased
for cruises of three years or more. 1t costs
about half as much as dairy butter.
There are now some fifteen factories in the
country, and the export of protested cleo
margarine from New York is about half
the value of all the butter exported. The
export of OleOmargarine oil now amounts
to from $50. 900. 900 to $40, 600, 600 annually.
1t goes almost entirely to Holland,
where it is churned by the same process
used here. and distributed throughout the
continent and Great Britain. The utiliza-
ton of beef fat has enhanced the valne of
cattle from 81 10 S. per head, according 10
the time Of year, and the consequent bene-
fit to farmers and cattle-raisers is, in the
aggregate. very great.