Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing

199

Chapter 9

Butter and Butter Products

Anna M. Fearon

Introduction

Milk fat is used in a variety of forms in the
food processing industry. It may be included
as cream, butter (salted, unsalted, or cul-
tured), in a concentrated form such as anhy-
drous milk fat, as milk fat fractions, or as a
component of a blend with other fats. The
functional characteristics of milk fat in its
different forms are important in the wide
variety of applications for which it may be
used. These characteristics include milk fat ’ s
unique and desirable fl avor, its plastic fat
properties wherein milk fat (or butter) dis-
plays solid behavior over a range of tempera-
tures, its relatively high oxidative stability in
comparison with vegetable oils, and its
ability to melt completely in the mouth. In
recent years manufacturers of milk fat prod-
ucts have been able to tailor their composi-
tion and properties to more closely meet
the performance customers require within
product applications.

Butter Manufacture

and Properties

Council Regulation (EC) 2991/94 and
Council Regulation (EC) 1898/87 (protection
of dairy designations) describe how the term
butter may be used for labeling purposes.
“ Butter ” is reserved for a product with a milk

fat content of not less than 80% but less than

90%, a maximum water content of 16%, and

a maximum dry nonfat material content of

2%. The dairy designation regulations allow

only milk fat as the fat source within such

a product. Exceptions regarding use of the

term are permitted where traditional usage

of the term “ butter ” has applied to a char-

acteristic of the product, for example, “ pea-

nut butter ” and “ cocoa butter ” ( Council

Regulation (EC) 1898/87 ). “ Butter ” may also

be applied to composite products in which

the end product contains at least 75% milk

fat and an essential part of the end product,

in terms of quantity or characterization, is

butter. Regulations defi ning butter compo-

sition and labelling in other major butter -

producing countries such as New Zealand

and the United States are similar to those

described in the Council Regulations (EC)

1898/87 and 2991/94 (Table 9.1 ).

Principles of Butter Making

The manufacture of creamery butter is the

basis for production of most of the concen-

trated milk fat products; therefore, it is useful

to consider the science and technology under-

pinning the process. The main steps in the

production of creamery butter are common,

whether carried out in a batch or continuous

butter maker, and are summarized below:

• Preparation of cream by centrifugal separa-
  tion of liquid milk to a fat content typically
  about 40%

Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing edited by
Ramesh C. Chandan and Arun Kilara
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.