While prejudice exists in many places against butterine, it is wholesome, as it is made in a cleanly manner, for if it is not made with absolute cleanliness, and if the ingredients are in the least tainted from any cause, the whole mass is injured. This is true to a greater extent than it is in the manufacture of pure butter, and more marked in butterine. Considerable progress has been made in the manufacture of this article within the past few years, and a more desirable product has been made since neutral lard has been used as an ingredient. It is, however, necessary to use milk or cream or butter to give the goods the flavor, and many manufacturers use a percentage of the highest quality creamery butter.
Ingredients.
—The ingredients of butterine are butter, milk, cream, oleo oil, neutral lard, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, and palm oil. The latter two being comparatively new compounds. These, together with salt make the butterine of commerce. The manufacture of oleo oil, neutral lard, and a description of cotton seed oil is described in previous chapters, although the cottonseed oil used is usually bought ready prepared and known to the trade as “Butter” oil, peanut oil and palm oil are standard articles of commerce of varying qualities, and are usually bought on sample.
Colors.
—There are three standard qualities of color in butterine. White goods, tested goods, and colored goods, in which an artificial color is used, with due acknowledgement and the payment of ten cents per pound tax. The production of butterine is closely supervised by the Federal Government of the United States, with scrupulous care and exactness, particularly as to any attempt to produce a color resembling that of butter. At least ten per cent of the quantity of any given ingredient must be used as a constituent or component part. There are, for instance, many vegetable oils, that would be considered edible but of high color, the introduction of a relatively small amount of which would help to produce the yellow color of butter. Objection is not made to their uses, but ten per cent of the quantity must be used in the formulas, and this quantity is usually prohibited for the reason that the pungency or some peculiarity of the foreign oil makes it undesirable in butterine. The manufacturer must closely watch his purchases of product to see they are not artificially colored since the introduction of any coloring substance in cottonseed or peanut oil, for example, would react upon the manufacturer of the butterine.
It is best not to attempt any innovations in making butterine without consulting the Federal authorities so as to be sure you are within the law.
Equipment.
—The equipment required in the manufacture of butterine is a comparatively simple outfit, consisting of the following items enumerated in the order of their use in the making of the product.
Storage tanks for cottonseed oil received in carload lots.
Storage tanks within the building for containing oils for immediate use.
Oleo oil melting kettles for reducing oleo oil to a fluid state.
“Starter” cans in which the milk culture is kept and developed ready for use in the cream ripener.
“Ripeners” for milk and cream for pasteurizing and propagating culture in milk preparatory for churning.
“Emulsion” churns in which the various ingredients are mixed.
Flume type crystalizers.
Tempering trucks.
Butter Workers.
Packing tables where prints and tubs are packed.
Print trucks for setting prints after making.