1. (1) Butter characteristics.

   1. (a) Flavor characteristics. For grading purposes, the flavor of a sample of butter shall be based upon the presence or absence of one or more of the following characteristics, organoleptically determined by taste and smell:

      1. 1. “Acid” means the butter lacks a delicate flavor or aroma and is associated with a lactic acid condition, which is present other than as a result of the use of a lactic acid producing culture, but there is no indication of sourness.
      2. 2. “Aged” means the butter is characterized by lack of freshness.
      3. 3. “Bitter” means the butter has an astringent effect, similar to the taste of quinine, and produces a puckery sensation.
      4. 4. “Coarse” means the butter lacks a fine, delicate, smooth flavor.
      5. 5. “Cooked” means a smooth, nutty-like character resembling a custard flavor.
      6. 6. “Culture” means a slightly acid aromatic flavor, characteristic of a lactic acid producing culture.
      7. 7. “Feed” means an aromatic flavor characteristic of the feeds eaten by cows.
      8. 8. “Flat” means the absence or lack of a natural butter flavor.
      9. 9. “Malty” means a distinctive, harsh flavor suggestive of malt.
      10. 10. “Musty” means a flavor which is suggestive of the aroma of a damp vegetable cellar.
      11. 11. “Neutralizer” means a flavor suggestive of bicarbonate of soda or the flavor of similar alkaline compounds.
      12. 12. “Old Cream” means a flavor of aged cream characterized by lack of freshness, and which imparts a rough aftertaste on the tongue.
      13. 13. “Scorched” means an intensified flavor more distinct than“coarse”, and which imparts a harsh aftertaste suggestive of excessive heating.
      14. 14. “Smothered” means a bland flavor suggestive of improperly cooling the cream prior to churning.
      15. 15. “Storage” means a flavor characterized by lack of freshness and more intensified than “aged” flavor.
      16. 16. “Utensil” means a flavor suggestive of unclean utensils and equipment.
      17. 17. “Weed” means an aromatic flavor characteristic of the weeds eaten by cows.
      18. 18. “Whey” means a flavor or aroma characteristic of the acid development of cheese whey.

   2. (b) Body characteristics. For grading purposes, the body characteristics of a sample of butter shall be based upon the presence or absence of one or more of the following physical attributes related to the texture of the butter:

      1. 1. “Crumbly” means the butter particles lack cohesion, have a tendency to break easily and lack plasticity.
      2. 2. “Gummy” means the butter does not melt readily and tends to be adhesive or gumlike.
      3. 3. “Leaky” means beads of moisture appear on cut surfaces of the butter.
      4. 4. “Mealy” or “grainy” means a condition which imparts a granular consistency that may be characterized as sandy when the butter is melted on the tongue.
      5. 5. “Ragged-boring” means a sticky-crumbly condition evidenced by the fact that a full sampling trier of butter cannot be drawn.
      6. 6. “Short” means a short-grained texture, lacking in plasticity, and tending toward brittleness, but not to the extent of being “crumbly.”
      7. 7. “Sticky” means possessing excessive adhesiveness and tending to be smeary.
      8. 8. “Weak” means a body texture that lacks firmness and tends to be spongy.

   3. (c) Color characteristics. For grading purposes, the color characteristics of a sample of butter shall be based upon the presence or absence of one or more of the following attributes related to the butter’s coloration:

      1. 1. “Mottled” means a dappled condition with spots of lighter and deeper shades of yellow.
      2. 2. “Speckled” means the presence of small white or dark yellow particles of variable number and size.
      3. 3. “Streaked” means the coloration appears as light colored portions surrounded by more highly colored portions.
      4. 4. “Wavy” means an unevenness in the color that appears as waves of different shades of yellow.

   4. (d) Salt characteristics. For grading purposes, the salt characteristics of a sample of butter shall be based upon the presence or absence of one of the following attributes related to the saltiness of the butter:

      1. 1. “Sharp” means the butter is characterized by taste sensations suggestive of salt.
      2. 2. “Gritty” means the butter is characterized by a sandlike feel of grains of undissolved salt on the tongue or between the teeth when the butter is chewed.

2. (2) Intensity. A butter characteristic under sub. (1) may be present with one of the following degrees of intensity:

   1. (a) “Slight” means an attribute is barely identifiable and present only to a small degree.
   2. (b) “Definite” means an attribute is readily identifiable and present to a moderate degree.
   3. (c) “Pronounced” means an attribute is markedly identifiable and present to a substantial degree.

History

History: 1-2-56; r. and recr. Register, January, 1985, No. 349, eff. 2-1-85.