Butter; Composition, Characteristics, Benefits and History (Detailed Explanation)

Butter, with evidence of its use dating back to 8000 BC, has long held an important place in human nutrition.

Containing more than 80% milk fat, butter has a distinctive aroma and flavor that contribute to its appeal.

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 made from cream by churning and working, also called malaxation. It contains more than 80% partially crystallized milk fat.

Because the optimum temperature for churning is 15–20 °C, butter originated in regions with temperate climates. More recent scientific research has focused on extending its shelf life and improving 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%.

Butter differs in its properties from its raw material, particularly milk. Removing skim milk, neutralization, pasteurization, adding starter cultures, churning and salting give it distinctive characteristics. It is essentially a concentrate of milk fat and therefore contains the components present in milk.

Depending on the raw material and production technique, the milk fat concentration increases approximately twentyfold relative to milk, while the proportions of water, protein and lactose decrease substantially.

Physically, butter is a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. Water droplets and air bubbles are dispersed within the fat, which forms the continuous phase. Small water droplets mainly contain cream plasma; larger droplets contain flavor compounds and buttermilk, and sometimes salt and microorganisms introduced through contamination.

Milk fat is present in both the fat globules and the continuous fat phase, partly as liquid and partly as crystals. Free fat is released from the globules during working and churning. In well-chilled cream, 50% of the fat inside the globules is crystalline.

Crystals in the free fat can be as small as 0.1 µm. The ratio of solid to liquid fat in the continuous phase is important for texture: butter with a high proportion of liquid fat is soft and greasy, whereas a lower proportion gives a brittle, crumbly texture.

Nutritional Value of Butter

Fat provides the highest energy value among food components and plays an important role in meeting daily energy requirements. Butter, which contains at least 80% milk fat, is therefore an important source of dietary energy.

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 cream matured with starter cultures contains lactic acid produced through the fermentation of lactose and citric acid, together with aroma compounds such as CO₂, alcohols, acetic acid, diacetyl, acetoin, acetaldehyde, acetone and ethanol.

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. 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 concerning butter date back some 10,000 years, including records attributed to the Urartians, who ruled in 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.

Butter was being made across the region from India to Thrace in the fifth century AD. During the same period, its production also began to spread 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 butter production developed after 1850 with the introduction of mechanical cream separators. Producing countries also introduced legal definitions to prevent adulteration with margarine.

In the 1890s, cream pasteurization and the use of pure cultures improved butter production and quality preservation.

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.

References

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Akgül, H. İ. (2015). Trabzon tereyağlarının bazı kalite parametrelerinin belirlenmesi. Atatürk Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü.

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Codex Alimentarius Commission. (2022). Standard for butter (CXS 279-1971). FAO/WHO. Amended 2022.

O’Callaghan, T. F., Faulkner, H., McAuliffe, S., O’Sullivan, M. G., Hennessy, D., Dillon, P., Kilcawley, K. N., Stanton, C., & Ross, R. P. (2016). Quality characteristics, chemical composition, and sensory properties of butter from cows on pasture versus indoor feeding systems. Journal of Dairy Science, 99(12), 9441–9460.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2010). Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition: Report of an expert consultation. FAO. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper, 91.

World Health Organization. (2023). Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. FAO.

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