FAT RICH DAIRY PRODUCTS

Module 6. Regulatory aspects of butter

Lesson 17
COMPOSITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF BUTTER

17.1 Introduction

By the nature of its production principle, butter is a product containing predominately fat (~80%) and a little quantity of SNF besides added ingredients such as salt. However, compositional variations can occur depending on the type of butter, which may be covered under various classification schemes.

17.2 Composition of Butter

Butter is principally composed of milk fat, moisture, salt and curd. It also contains small amount of fat, lactose, acids, phospholipids, air, microorganisms, enzymes and vitamins. The proportion of principal constituents in butter is largely controlled by the method of manufacture and this is turn is chiefly regulated to conform to the standards of butter prescribed by regulatory authorities such as codex and FSSAI. General composition of butter is given in table 17.1.

Table 17.1 Composition of butter

Constituents	Quantity (% w/w)
Fat	80-83
Moisture	15.5-16.0
Salt	*0-3
Curd	1-1.5

• 0 percent salt indicates that butter is unsalted and it is not intended for direct consumption

Butter is considered as high calorie food as 100 g of butter provides almost 700 Kcal. Butter is extremely rich in minerals like Calcium, Phosphorus and Potassium. It has good amount of sodium and small amounts of fluoride, selenium, zinc and magnesium. It is also rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Niacin and Pantothenic acid. It also has Vitamin K, Folate and Vitamin B12 in small amounts. Nutritional composition of butter is given in Table 17.2.

Table 17.2 Nutritional composition of butter

Constitutent	Per 100g
Energy (Kcal)	744
Fat (g)	82
Saturates	52.1
Monounsaturates	20.9
Polyunsaturates	2.8
Trans fatty acids	2.9
Protein (g)	0.6
Carbohydrate (g)	0.6
Thaimin (mg)	Trace
Riboflavin (mg)	0.07
Niacin (mg)	Trace
Vitamin B6 (mg)	Trace
Vitamin B12 (µg)	0.3
Folate (µg)	Trace
Pantothenate(mg)	0.05
Biotin (µg)	0.2
Vitamin C (mg)	Trace
Retinol (µg)	958
Carotene (µg)	608
Vitamin D (µg)	0.9
Vitamin E (mg)	1.85
Sodium (mg)	606*
Potassium (mg)	27
Calcium (mg)	18
Magnesium (mg)	2.0
Phosphorus (mg)	23
Iron (mg)	Trace
Copper (mg)	0.01
Zinc (mg)	0.1
Chloride (mg)	994
Selenium (Ig)	Trace
Manganese (mg)	Trace
Iodine (µg)	38

*Unsalted butter contains 9 mg Sodium per 100g

Butter's fatty acid composition is also important for several reasons. The proportion of low melting triglycerides and high melting triglyceride largely determines the body and texture of butter. The significant amount of short-chain fatty acids contributes to butter's quality as a softer fat with a lower melting point. This, in turn, ensures a quick flavor release when melting, which is desirable in numerous foods. Fatty acid composition of butter is given in Table 17.3.

Table 17.3 Fatty acid composition of butter

Fatty Acids	Average (g/100g)
Unsaturated
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids	21.021
16:1 Palmitoleic Acid	0.961
18:1 Oleic Acid	19.961
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids	3.043
18:2 Linoleic Acid	2.728
18:3 Linolenic Acid	0.315
Saturated Fatty Acids
4:0 Butyric Acid	3.226
6:0 Caproic Acid	2.007
8:0 Caprylic Acid	1.19
10:0 Capric Acid	2.529
12:0 Lauric Acid	2.587
14:0 Myristic Acid	7.436
16:0 Palmitic Acid	21.697
18:0 Stearic Acid	9.999

17.3 Classification of Butter

Butter may be classified based on treatment given to cream, salt content, method of manufacturing and end use.

I. Classification based on acidity of cream used for butter making

1. Swleet cream butter: Sweet cream butter (made from non-acidified cream; this includes butter in which no bacterial culture have been added to enhance diacetyl lcontent) having pH of ≥6.4 (acidity of the churned cream does not exceed 0.2%).

2. Mildly acidifiled butter (made from partially acidified sweet cream) having pH in the range of 5.2 to 6.3 and

3. Sour cream bultter (made from ripened cream which has more than 0.2% acidity) having pH ≤ 5.1from cream.

lII. Classification based on salt content

1. Salted butter: Butter to which salt has been added. It is added to improve flavour and keeping quality of butter.

2. Unsalted butter: This type of butter contains no salt. It is usually prepared for manufacturing other products such as ghee and butteroil.

III. Classification based on end use (as followed by BIS)

1. Table Butter: the product made from pasteurized cream obtained from cow or buffalo milk or a combination thereof with or without ripening with the use of standard lactic culture, addition of common salt, annatto or carotene as colouring matter and diacetyl as flavouring agent.

2. White Butter: the product made from pasteurized cream obtained from cow or buffalo milk or a combination thereof without ripening and without addition of any preservative including common salt, any added colouring matter or any added flavouring agent.

IV. Classification based on the manufacturing practice (as followed by FSSAI)

1. Pasteurized cream butter/ Pasteurized Table butter: This is made usually from pasteurized sweet cream. Such butter usually has a milder flavour than that made from similar cream not pasteurized.

2. Desi butter: The butter obtained by traditional process of churning dahi or malai as practiced at domestic levels.