Butter, the first findings of which were found in 8000 B.C in history, has had a very important place in human nutrition until today.
The unique aroma of butter, which contains more than 80% milk fat, has become a flavor element in nutrition; this unique flavor has made butter preferable for consumption.
Although many ideas were put forward about butter in the 20th century that it is unhealthy – its reputation was restored in the 21st century – it is a very healthy and nutritious food in terms of its enormous fatty acid profile and richness in vitamin and mineral content.
Butter is a dairy product produced from cream by the churning and malaxation process. It contains more than 80% of partially crystallized milk fat in its structure.
Since the optimum temperature range for the churning process is 15-20°C, the origin of butter is regions with a temperate climate. In addition to existing knowledge, recent scientific research has focused on increasing the shelf life of butter and improving its quality.
According to the definition of the Turkish Food Codex, butter is defined as a fat that “contains at least 80%, at most 90% milk fat, at most 2% skimmed milk solids and at most 16% water.”
Starter culture, salt and β-carotene can be added as additives in the production of butter.
When a starter culture is used in its production, butter becomes more delicious thanks to the aromatic molecules that are formed as a result of the metabolism of bacteria in the starter culture. Another effect of using starter culture is that the pH of butter in which starter culture is used is around 4.6 to 4.9, while the pH of butter without starter culture in its production is around 6.5 to 6.6. On the other hand, the use of starter cultures facilitates the separation of non-fat components (such as lactose and proteins) from the fat mass during production. Therefore, a shorter washing process is applied to the cream to which the starter culture is added, and the butter produced from this cream contains fewer non-fat components. (My PhD thesis was about developing a starter culture in butter. I could write a lot more on this topic, but it would be unnecessary for this article. But if you have any questions about butter starter cultures, feel free to ask.)
Salt, another additive, is usually added at around 1-2%. The reason for adding salt is only to increase flavour; salt added in these proportions has no preservative effect.
The reason for adding β-carotene to butter is to make the colour more yellow. The reason is the consumer perception that “yellower butter is of better quality.” However, the different shades of yellow seen seasonally in butter are quite natural. For this purpose, a 5% trans-β carotene solution is usually added to butter at a ratio of 0.002%.
The characteristic of butter is unlike the raw material it is processed, especially milk. The processes applied during production, meanwhile, the separation of skim milk, neutralization, pasteurization, starter culture addition, churning and salting give the product a distinctive characteristics. Butter is basically formed by concentrating milk fat and therefore contains all the ingredients in milk.
However, although the ratios of these components increase approximately 20 times compared to milk according to the raw materials used in butter production and butter production technique, the ratio of other components such as water, protein and lactose is greatly reduced.
Physically, butter is in the form of a water-in-oil (W/Y) emulsion. Water droplets and air bubbles in the oil form the continuous phase in butter. Small water droplets often contain the cream plasma, while large water droplets contain flavor compounds and buttermilk, sometimes salt and microorganisms that contaminate butter.
Milk fat exists both in fat globules and in the continuous milk fat phase, partly as liquid and partly as crystals. Free fat is formed by squeezing a certain part of the fat in the globules during the kneading and churning processes. 50% of the fat in the globules is in the form of crystals in a well-chilled cream.
The crystals in the free oil can be as small as 0.1 µm. The ratio of solid fat to oil in the continuous oil phase is important in terms of the structure of the oil. Butter containing a lot of oil has a soft and oily structure, while those containing a small amount of oil show a crisp and crumbly structure.
Nutritional Value of Butter
Among the food components, the element with the highest energy value is fat. Fats have an important place in meeting the daily energy needs of metabolism. In this respect, butter containing at least 80% milk fat is of great importance in nutrition.
It is known that butter is not only a source of calories, but it is also a food that must be taken to protect health, increase the body’s resistance to external factors and fulfill the organism’s functions. This situation is of great importance in terms of public health and nutrition, as well as the development of butter technology.
Unlike other animal and vegetable oils, butter contains low and high molecular weight fatty acids, monoene, diene and polyene unsaturated fatty acids and many isomers. Therefore, it is easier to digest and has a higher physiological value than other oils.
The fact that it contains some essential fatty acids (such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid and arachidonic acid) that cannot be synthesized by the body further increases its value. Meanwhile, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are also found in butter and play an important role in the development of living things and the strengthening of bones.
Composition of butter
It is an important natural source of vitamin A. Among the tocopherols, there is only α tocopherol and it protects vitamin A and carotene from autooxidation due to its antioxidant effect.
Butter made from biologically matured cream by adding culture has aroma substances consisting of CO2, alcohols, acetic acid, diacetyl, acetoin, acetaldehyde, acetone and ethanol in addition to milk acid (lactic acid) formed as a result of milk sugar and citric acid fermentation.
It also contains several other components such as ketones, lactones, esters, dimethyl sulfide, free volatile fatty acids and flavorings.
Butter is an animal fat and contains approximately 240 mg/100 g of cholesterol. It should be noted here that the daily limit value for cholesterol absorbed through food consumption is 300 mg. The amount of cholesterol that a person will obtain by consuming 20 g of butter per day is 48 mg. Therefore, the consumption of butter by a healthy person does not pose any risk in terms of cholesterol. However, in case of illness, follow the advice of your doctor and do not take into account any publication or recommendation other than the advice of your doctor. (For detailed information about cholesterol and nutrition, see Cholesterol; 10 Questions and 10 Clear Answers)
Butter in History
The earliest sources regarding butter in the historical process date back to 10,000 years ago. Information about butter was first found in the sources of the Urartians, who dominated Eastern Anatolia in 8000 BC.
In the 2000s BC, butter was used for nutritional purposes and in the following years, the Thracians also learned how to make butter.
In the 300s BC, it was used as food in the East, while it was used as an ointment and hair oil by the Greeks and Romans.
It is understood that butter was made in the region stretching from India to Thrace in the 5th century BC. In the same years, butter production started to become widespread in Europe.
In the 8th century AD, it was stated that commercial butter making was part of the industry in Norway. Scandinavian countries pioneered the spread of butter production in Western Europe.
Industrial production developed after 1850 with the introduction of mechanical cream separators. However, to prevent the cheating of butter with margarine, these products have been defined by law in the countries where they are produced.
In the 1890s, the success of cream pasteurization and the use of pure cultures in butter making and the preservation of quality were effective in terms of recent developments.
Production and Consumption in the World
In 2019, butter production increased by 3% compared to the previous year and reached a total of 11.1 million tons.
India is the world’s largest butter (ghee) producer, with the largest share in this production at 53% (5.9 million tons). While EU-28 (2.4 million tons) takes second place in world production, the USA (0.9 million tons) takes third place.
The fourth is New Zealand with 0.8 million tons and the fifth is Russia with 0.3 million tons. The country with the fastest increase in production is China with an increase of 24.72%.
Butter consumption in the European Union and Oceania countries is higher than the average consumption in South America and Africa.
Annual consumption per capita in Western European countries such as France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Central European countries such as the Czech Republic and Oceania is more than 4 kg.
While the per capita consumption is 8 kg/year in France, it is more than 6 kg per year in Germany and Denmark.
Consumption is at very low levels in African and South American countries, especially Colombia, South Africa, Brazil and China, where milk consumption is also low.
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