The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-04-01
THE DAIRY
Testing Cream is Quite Simple,

making is concerned, all the constitu-
ents of milk except the butter fat, are
waste products. The quickest and
most satisfactory way to determine
the amount of butter fat in a speci-
men of cream is to burn away all the
other elements present except butter
fat. just as miners treat a specimen of
ore with an acid that will dissolve
away all metals except gold. Sui
phuric acid in sufficient quantity will
burn out che casein, sugar and other
constituents of milk but will not
attack the butter fat. The fact that
butter fat resists the action of acids
is made use of by physicians who give
melted butter to a person who has
been poisoned The butter fat forms
a coating over the surface of the sto-
mach and thus protects the tissues
from dangerous or fatal burns.
The process of testing cream is as
follows: First testing bottle,
large based bottle, with long narrow
neck, marked in degrees, is thorough
ly cleansed and placed on one side OF
a balancing scale. Weights are care
fully added until the scale balances
perfectly. Then an 18grammes weight
(about half an ounce is placed in one
pan and cream is poured into the test
ing bottle on the other until the two
sides balance Sulphuric acid is add
ed to the cream in an exact quantity,
which is carefully measured.
Sulphuric acid vigorously attacks
every ingredient of milk except the
fat. When the acid is added to sam
a Instantly
consumes all the sugar, casein, etc.,
leaving butter fat, ash and water. Inc
heat of combustion is very apparent,
the testing bottle becoming almost
boiling hot.
All the original fat of the sample is
now in a free condition. The ASH OF
the burned-up sugar and case1n Will,
however. entangle and hold some OF
the fat globules. In order to shake
that fat free from the residue OF ash
in the quickest, easiest way, the BAD
cock tester, or centrifuge, was devised.
The sample of butter fat, water and
ash residue is placed in the tester ana
whirled for a few minutes at ire
mendous rate of speed. the agltaCloll
shakes the fat globules free from the
ash. and being lighter than either the
ash or the water, it rises to the top.
After whirling the pure butter lat
shows in a column in the narrow neck
of the bottle. If the right amount OF
acid has been added, the solid constr
tuents of the milk have all peen purh-
ed TO ash except the butter fat. When
allowed to come to rest, the specimen
which has been properly tested, Will
show distinctly clear column OF put-
ter fat on top of a grayish mixture OF
water acid and ash. 1t is easy TO
measure this column, as the hgures
are engraved in the glass.
There are several ways in which
mistakes may be made in testing Tor
butter fat. The first safeguard to take
is to be sure that weights, measures
and scales are correct, that the glass
ware is correctly marked with de-
grees and that the acid is OF good
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er can tell, by the appearance OF the
mixture after shaking, if he has ADDED
too much acid. If no distinct line OF
butter fat appears at the top put the
whole mass is one color, a dark, dirty
gray, too much acid has been used. IL
too little acid is added the casein and
sugar are not all burned out OF the
cream. In that case the mixture Will
remain whitish in color, with no dis.
tinct ring of butter fat at the top OF
the mixture.
Creamery chemists are frequently
asked if the company could not De
cheated by the dairyman pouring wa
ter into the cream. There is no way
to cheat the Babcock butter fat test.
Butter fat is a solid. 1t is not soluble
IN uyater acid Or any other medium