Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-10

merely necessary to call in the aid Of bacteria,
most Of which powerful friends of man.
kind, notwithstanding the fact that a few de-
generate species like the cholera germ are NOR
tai foes to the human race.
Good butter is distinguished from poor but
ter by n delicious fragrance and by peculiar
favor familiar TO the educated palate. Wha;
produces these qualities! Not sweet grass and
clover. nor yet pure breeding in cows but sim
ply microscopic vegetable organisms called
bacteria. They feed upon the cream and thus
make u ferment which gives to frst-rate butter
tts distinctive taste and smell. What these
little workers lack in size they make up in num-
bers, for il is reckoned that a quart of milk will
sometimes contain as many a thousand mil
lions Of them.
RrPEyISe THE CREAM.
Butter makers accustomed to let their
cream stand in n warm place for from twelve 10
twenty-four hours before churning it. This
they call "ripening." They do i, because they
have discovered that cream thus treated will
churn more easily than wher il is fresh; also
that n greater quantity of butter can be go!
from II In this way, and thai the product has q
much better flavor Scientific investigation
has proved that all this il due 10 bacteria.
which under such conditions multiply with
enormous rapidity and produce various forms
of fermentation.
Bacterla. however. are Of innumerable va
rietIes. There NAV be hundreds OF different
species in qusrt Of cream which is an admir-
able culture medium for such organisms.
But there Is probably only one kind that makes
the peculiar ferment desired, by which the
taste and aroma Of 'best butter are produced.
tbs matter of common observation that
ordinary butter is not particularly agreeable
to the palate or to the sense of smell. 1t is
simply not bad. One spreads little of it on
one bread as IL needed to make the latter
edible. What does this signify? Merely that
the right sort of bacteria did not take part in
the manufacture Of such batter for the market
Now, it obviously follows that if butter
makers could always introduce this desirable
species Of bacterium into their cream they
would make sure of obtaining the proper smell
and taste for their product. Luckily the micro
organism in question has already been identi-
fed II is a bacillus, which term ia likewise ap-
Piled to the cholera germ because both are
shaped like little rods. Bacteria have three
distinct forms, according to which they are
roughly designated as ''bacilli.' ''rncrococci
or little balls. and ''spirilla" or corkscrews
Storch. n Swedish investigator first succeeded
In isolating this interesting bacterium. He OBJ
taine6 1t from ripening cream and propagated
the species on gelatine. By introducing il in. 0
fresh cream he found that he was able to get
butter with the desired favor.
THE RIGHr KIND OF BACTERIA
In the ordinary methods OF butter making
the results are left largely to accident II the
right sort OF bacteria get into the cream it is
found that they will increase and multiply at
the expense o: the other species which NAV be
present, crOwdiug hem out. But nothing is
done TO control the matter or to regulate the
assortment of micro organisms. During the
ripening process there ensues a conflict of the
Inherent organisms with each other and the
consequences NAV depend upon a variety of
circumstances They will be influenced bv
temperature, quality of the cream and particu-
larry by the species of bacteria represented. In
such struggle for existence il is mere chance
whether or not the desirable variety succeeds in
multiplying rapidly enough to produce its own
effect on the cream unhindered by the others.
Storch found that cream ripened with improper
species Of bacteria produced very poor butter
In other words, the butter maker today can
never be certain that any particular batch of
cream IL supplied with the proper species of
bacteria to produce the desired taste and smell
In the product. But. if he could be furnished
with n ferment for the purpose--i e.. q pure
culture of the right kind Of micro organisms
as the brewer is furnished with yeast, he would
always be able to be sure of his result Such a
ferment is already being manufactured in Ger
many, where i; is used in many creameres
Presumably before long it will be employed in
this country. 1t will doubtless introduce i'm
provements into the creameries similar to those
which have been effected in breweries by the
study of yeasts
This discovery, however. is Of present only
IN Its infancy. There may be more than one
species Of bacteria which will produce good re-
suits IN the ripening of cream for butter 1t is
not even known as Yet whether the variety
utilized In Europe Is the same as that found
available for the purpose BY our own Depart-
ment OF Agriculture which is abou: to publish
the results OF Its own experiments in this direc-
non The Investigations which have brought
these facts 20 light have incidentally disposed
OF the theory hitherto held that tbs favor of
N, ha - IL n
acids In the cream. Both taste and smell come
from sort Of decomposition that is caused bv
the bacteria The decomposition must not be
allowed 20 proceed too far, for. az every butter
MAKER knows, too long ripening produces
strong and disagreeable favors.
THE AILEMsS AND BrrrEE MAKER DIVER.
Thus IL appears that whereas the milsman
desires his milk 20 be as free from micro organ
isrns as possible, the butter maker finds them
most useful and takes pains to cultivate them
but he wants the proper species IL the bacteri-
ologist can furnish them. II is not 10 be ex-
Pected that the butter maker Of the future will
be able to make better butter than the best tina,
Is made today, but he will be able to obtain the
beet product with uniformity and the creameries
which at present Mae inferior qualities Of bnt.
ter viii be able TO improve them SO as to COM
pete With the best
IL bacteria are useful to the butter maker
they are absolute necessities to the manufac-
tcAcA Va cnccsc Without tnelr agelcv In rlDeu-
Ing cream the butter can be used. though il NAV
taste fat; but cheese is worthless without them
New cheese Is not palatable 1t tastes like
fresh milk curd and is not az all pleasant The
proper favor Of cheese is the result of a rinen-
ing process which is allowed to continue for
several weeks or months, the taste and aroma
slowly growing stronger all the while This
ripsning is produced by bacteria which feed on
the substance of the cheese and multiply in IL
thus making various ferments that are similar
euriously enough. to the ferments caused by
the action Of :he digestive fluids Of the stomach
When fresh cheese is treated with a disinfect-
Ing agent. which prevents the DEVELOPMENT OF
bacteria. II will not ripen-
IL Is estimated that the number Of bacteria
present In an ounce Of ripening cheese is from
23.0oo.ooO to 5000. 900, the micro organisms
growing gradually more numerous during the
process Under proper conditions one specie.
increases at the expense OF the others which
are TO great extent crowded out. Just as il the
case with cream that is getting ready for max
ing butter. IL has been ascertained beyond
question that this variety produces the de red
taste and smell. However, IL is to be presumed
that the KIND of bacterium requisite for the
purpose varies with different sorts Of cheeses
The famous Roquefort cheese Is ripened in Ger.
tam caves in France, where presumably the
conditions are such 10 favor the growth O,
the species which makes the peculiar fermen,
That renders this delicacy priced by epicures-
THE cHEEsENAKERs DIFYicuLrfKs
In to the nre~ent time the rhe.s. r.L.v ~.