96. The Neutralisation of Cream for Butter-making

Abstract

The reactions which occur when sour cream is “neutralised” with calcium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate are discussed from the point of view of the acid-base equilibria.Experimental results are recorded showing that:1. When lime is the neutraliser, pasteurisation has little effect on the pH. or titratable acidity of the neutralised cream.2. The reduction in acidity when lime is used is shown to vary from that calculated from the sodium hydroxide titration to an extent which depends on the pH of the neutralised cream. The reasons for and extent of this variation are defined.3. When sodium bicarbonate is used as a neutraliser the loss of carbon dioxide (which is influenced by the method of pasteurisation adopted) has most influence on the degree of neutralisation obtained and the experiments show the extent of this at various acidities.The variations in the pH-titratable acidity relationship of creams neutralised with calcium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate are defined.