Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1918 — Culture Buttermilk More Beneficial as Drink; Has More of the Lactic Acid [ARTICLE]

Culture Buttermilk More Beneficial as Drink; Has More of the Lactic Acid

Culture buttermilk is more beneficial as a drink than the common variety, according to C. E. Buchanan of the dairy department of the Kansas State Agricultural college. It is more likely to be free from harmful bacteria,, and jio contain more of the lactic , acid which gives it Its healthful properties. Lactic acid bacteria are present in the digestive tract and destroy other bacteria which might prove injurious to the body. The use of buttermilk as a beverage is one method of introducing more of these lactic bacteria into the system. Whole or skim milk may be used to make culture buttermilk, but usually these are combined in equal parts. The milk is first subjected to a temperature of 180 degrees for 30 minutes to sterilize It It is then cooled to 70 degrees and a small amount of starter is added. The milk Is kept at this temperature for ten or twelve hours until the whole is coagulated. Afterwards it is beaten thoroughly or churned from three to five minutes and salted —one teaspoonful of salt to each gallon. The buttermilk is then cooled to 50 degrees, at which temperature it is kept ready for use. The starter is made from pure lactic acid culture obtained from the laboratories where it is cultivated. The lactic acid bacteria are carried by means of sterilized milk powder made from the dried casein of milk. A small quantity of this powder is put into a small bottle of milk, which soon coagulates. The curded milk is used in a new bottle of milk the next day and this process is continued through three or four propagations. These preliminary propagations of the starter are necessary to eliminate the peculiar taste of the original powdered milk culture.