Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-03-28
JUNE BUTTER IN MIDWINTER.
The Bacillus That Gives the Rich
Flavor to Grass Butter.


Flavor to Grass Butter.
All dairymen understand that the
ripening of cream is important III secur-
ing butter with the best flavor, no mat
ter what the feed may be. Professor Il.
W Conn Of Wesleyan university haS
been investigating this riDening process,
and he finds that it means the develop
ment of various bacilli in the cream.
The one which gives the June grass
flavor he has managed to separate, ana
this be names bacillus Al. BY making
pure cultures of this bacilli and putting
it into the cream the quality of butter Is
greatly improved at all seasons OF the
year This ripening Of the cream Is
similar to the process which goes on III
beer during its fermentation. The
June butter bacilli will not propagate
during cold weather. but by keeping
the cream moderately warm and put
ting some of the uacilli into 1t the June
flavor is given to butter at all seasons
Of the year.
The method by which it has been
proved that this bacillus would do the
work required was: \ half pint Of
milk was sterilized thoroughly by con-
tinuous steaming, so as TO kill any or
ganislns which might be present III il.
After this the milk was inoeulatri
with bacillus A. which had been pro
pared in the meteorological laboratory.
The milk was then set aside and the
bacilli allowed to develop for day or
81. ba
number Of bacteria, and thus prepare
for large incubation at the creamery,
where the subsequent experiments were
carried on. This culture was poured IN
to six or eight quarts Of cream and the
mixture put into the ripenlng room.
After dav or two 1t was Churned, the
buttermllk being put one side and later
inoculated into the large cream vat.
The cream was then allowed to ripen
for the normal time and at the normal
temperature and then churned as usual.
Before the churning small quantity
was set aside for incubation into the
next days cream, the process being thus
kept up until the virtue Of the original
incubation was exhausted.
The result of this experiment was al
WAYS the same. The first six or eight
quarts of cream gave moderately good
butter, but did not nave just the favor
wanted. The first large churnlng was
better Then on each day the quality
steadily improved until after two or
three days there began to be noticed
pleasant favor not there at first. This
soon became very strong and noticeable
and was present in the butter for two or
three weeks after the original inocula-
ton, the length Of time varying with
unknown conditions. When the quality
began to deteriorate, it could easily be
restored by a fresh incubation from the
laboratory, so that there was no diff
Guilty III maintaining it Indefinitely.
These practical experiments Were car
ried on at the Cromwell creamery, Com
necticut. The proprietors We're at first
very skeptical as TO the value of the
method, but since the results Of the eX
periments have become known they
have become convinced and are now
using this incubation III all their but
ter making Several times last year
samples of butter made from tn inaru-
lated cream and Of some made ~ TIE
ordinary Wy Were sent 10 an exp" = t,ir
rating a. IN every ease the butter made
from the artiticlally rlu"ned cream was
rated from to Is points ahead on the
scale of hundred.
DR. Conn is at present making ar
ranGeueut~ for the introduction of this
system Of inoculation into all the large
cr"ameries in the United States The
process If cultivating the bacteria can
be carried on with very small expense,
and the inoculation will add almost
nothing TO the cost of tine butter The
incubation will probably be furnished
to dairymen i'll form much resembling
a compressed yeast cake.
So uniform has been the result of the
experiments carried on during the last
year that the value Of this discovery is
put beyond the region of experimental
is-n. and bacillus 4 takes rank as
a species of organism whose artificial
use in the ripening of cream will pro
duce decided improvement in the
flavor of butter. |: adds to all grades an
especially delicate aroma and taste, -
An. rican Cultivator.