The commerce in butter is extensive. The exports of butter from European Russia have risen from 112,925 poods (of 36 lb.) in 1873, to 174,110 poods in 1878 ; in 1871, they amounted to 237,401 poods. The exports from Sweden have grown from 69,815 centners (of 931. lb.) in 1873, to 89,908 centners in 1878. The Danish exports have increased from 35,547 tonder (of bush.) in 1868-9, to 102,140 loader in 1878 ; they were 142,703 tonder in 1876. The exports from the German Empire were 258,000 centners (of 1101 lb.) in 1872, and 244,000 centners in 1879. The exports from Holland have risen from 15,246,000 kilo. in 1872, to 36,451,000 kilo. in 1879. The exports from Belgium have grown from 3,784,000 kilo. in 1871, to 5,231,000 kilo. in 1879. The exports of butter and cheese together from France rose from 21,309,000 kilo. in 1870, to 43,081,000 kilo. in 1876 ; but fell to 31,598,000 kilo. in 1879. The exports from the United States have increased from 2,019,000 lb. in 1870, to 38,248,000 lb. in 1879 ; Philadelphia shipped 605,529 lb. in 1879. The exports from Canada fell from 170,254 cwt. in 1872, to 82,752 cwt. in 1875, then rose to 138,210 cwt. in 1877, and were 129,787 cwt., value 445,510/., in 1879. The value of the butter exports from Natal fell from 8403/. in 1869, to 689/. in 1876, and was 1724/. in 1878. These statistics include all substances declared as butter to the Customs authorities. Large quantities of artificial compounds help to swell the figures, notably those of Holland and the United States.
The quality of butter depends upon the season, and upon the breed, health, and diet of the animal. It is a complex compound of glycerides, of non-volatile acids (fats), and of volatile acids. It should contain at least 85 per cent. of pure fat, the remaining constituents being 3-5 per cent. of caseine or curd, imperfectly washed out ; 5-12 per cent. of water, according to whether it is fresh or salt butter ; and 4 per cent. of salt in fresh, and 8 in salt butter. Its true melting-point, as determined by Hassall, ranges from 32°• (91° F.) to 34°•9 (95° F.), the mean being about (92°.3 F.). It dissolves in 28 parts boiling alcohol of 0.82 sp. gr. Dr. Hager has fixed the sp. gr. of butter at 15°-16° (58°-60° F.) at when clarified by settling, and at 0.936-0.937 when several months old. It is most extensively adulterated (see Buttorine). The most reliable tests for the detection of admixtures of foreign fatty substances in butter will be found in the section devoted to detection and analysis (see p. 1465).
Butterine, Bosch, Oleomargarine, or Artificial Butter (FE. Margarine-Henries).— "Within the last decade, a new and important manufacture has sprung up in consequence of the dearness and scarcity of butter. It was initiated in France, and the product was called Margarine Mouries, from the name of its inventor ; in this country, it Is variously styled " butterine," " bosch," "oleomargarine," and "artificial butter." It originated from a surmise of the eminent French
chemist Mhge-Mouries, that the formation of butter contained in milk was due to the absorption of fat contained in the animal tissues. This led to the experimental splitting-up of animal fats, with the result that a process was devised by which the oleine and margarine contained in the fat could be almost completely separated on a commercial scale from the stearine. This process consists in heating finely-minced beef-suet with water, carbonate of potash, and finely-chopped fresh sheep's stomachs, at a temperature of 45° (113° F.), when the combined influence of the pepsine of the sheep's-stomachs, and the heat, causes the separation of the fat from the cellular tissue. The fatty matters are removed, cooled, and submitted to powerful hydraulic pressure in the cold, which effects their determination into a solid and a liquid portion, the former being stearine, a commercially valuable article, and the latter the oleine and margarine, or oleomargarine, required for making the artificial butter. This is the process patented by Mhge-Mouries, and under which a large proportion of the butterine is made.
A method that is very extensively employed in the United States consists in thoroughly washing the picked beef-suet in water, and placing it in a steam-jacketed pan ; the contents are never allowed to experience a temperature exceeding 49° (120° F.). The pure fat that runs off is " seeded" (i. e. allowed to cool very slowly, which facilitates the mechanical separation of the stearine) and pressed. The resulting stearine is sold for candle-making purposes, while the liquid portion (oleomarga'rine) is used in the manufacture of butterine.
Another arrangement is adopted by W. Cook and S. Hall of the E. London Soap-works, Bow. The freshest beef-suet is first thoroughly disintegrated and reduced almost to a pulp. A wooden chamber is provided, of sufficient height to accommodate a workman, and with a passage up the centre. At the two sides, are inclined racks ; upon these, shallow iron trays are slid in from the outside, and rest with a slight slope towards the central passage. Along the lower free edge of each row, is an open iron gutter, leading to a receiver outside. The comminuted fat is laid in thin layers upon the trays, and the temperature of the chamber is raised by steam-pipes to such a degree as will just suffice (and no more) to liquefy the fat, which then escapes by the gutters to the receiver, leaving behind such shreds and portions of tissue as are not liquefied by the heat. The temperature should never exceed 54°-57° (130°-135° F.), and a much lower degree will be equally effective by prolonged time. The product (oleomargarine) is remarkably fine and fit for food.