"Butter is a food product obtained by processing the cream obtained from cow's milk or its whey"
Butters produced with milk of different species, for example goat's or sheep's milk, must specify their origin on the label.
Butter production
Nutritional Properties
Vegetable Butters
Butter production
Butter can be considered a concentrate of the lipid fraction of milk, the preparation of which takes place in two distinct phases:
- extraction of the cream from the milk: the lipid fraction is concentrated about 10 times, obtaining an "oil-in-water emulsion in which the fat content reaches 35-40%.
- Transformation of the cream into butter: the lipid phase is further concentrated and reaches percentages close to 80-85%; there is also an "inversion of the" emulsion, which passes from the oil type in water (typical of milk and cream) to the type water in oil, where small particles of whey (buttermilk) remain dispersed in the lipid mass.
Unlike milk fat, in which lipids come in the form of blood cells (droplets wrapped in a lipoprotein membrane), butter fat contains a certain percentage of whole blood cells and small droplets of whey or buttermilk.
Homemade Butter - Video Recipe
In the Video, our Personal Cooker explains in detail the artisanal and industrial production processes of butter; follows (minute 4:20 ") the demonstration of how simple it is to prepare butter at home starting from cooking cream.
If you want to make butter at home easily, don't miss the video of the alternative recipe: Homemade Butter in a Bottle
Homemade butter
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Extraction from the cream
Milk cream, or more commonly cream, is the raw material from which butter is obtained; it is presented as a liquid with a more or less consistent appearance (depending on the lipid concentration), of a yellowish color, fragrant smell and pleasant taste.
In addition to the production of butter, the cream can also be used for direct consumption (cooking, coffee or whipping cream), for the manufacture of mascarpone and ice cream, and for the lipid enrichment of cheeses and dairy products (during the preparation of milk from which yogurt is obtained, for example, it is necessary to standardize its lipid fraction; if this is too low, it is corrected by adding cream).
The cream is obtained industrially by centrifuging the milk at 6500-7000 rpm. The fat globules, less dense and lighter than water, separate from the milk and move towards the center of the machine. The entire operation, carried out at a temperature between 32 and 55 ° C, takes place in special skimmers and it allows to obtain a yield of 35-40% in a relatively short time (a few minutes).
The cream obtained through the use of skimmers (centrifuges) is called "SWEET", since - given the speed of the process - the microorganisms naturally present in the milk do not have the time to carry out the acidifying fermentation process. flavor; on the contrary, during the fermentation process a whole series of aromatic compounds are generated which make up the typical flavor of butter.
"ACID" is defined as the cream collected on the surface by spontaneous surfacing from the milk left to rest for 10-20 hours at 10-15 ° C; during this time the microorganisms normally present in the food begin to ferment the lactose to lactic acid, producing a whole series of aromatic substances. The lowering of the pH determines the denaturation of the proteins that make up the outer membrane of the fat globules. "weakening of this structure and the consequent release of lipid droplets, which gradually unite until the cream is separated from the rest of the milk. This practice, whose yield is close to 25%, is no longer used for hygienic reasons and for the risk of potential pathogenic contamination; it is carried out - but only in closed containers and at a controlled temperature - only to produce long-maturing hard cheeses, which must be processed starting from partially skimmed milk; among these, for example, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP must follow a very rigid production disciplinary which foresees - among other things - the skimming of milk for affi prayer. In this way unwanted contamination of the product is avoided, obtaining at the same time a cream with a lower pH (acidic) and rich in aromatic substances; its use gives the product (be it butter or cheese) a tastier aroma, but collides with much higher production costs than mechanical centrifugation.
The cream can also be obtained from whey (after the cheese is made); obviously the chemical composition changes, which depends on the origin and the type of extraction.
Surfacing cream
Centrifuge cream
Serum cream
fat
20-24
32-36
44-48
Waterfall
69-73
59-63
48-52
Proteins
2,5-2,7
0,7-0,8
0,3-0,5
Lactose
3,5-3,8
3,5-3,8
2,7-3,0
Ashes (Mineral salts)
0,5-0,6
0,5-0,6
0,1
The title of the cream, i.e. the percentage of fat it contains, varies in relation to the uses for which it is intended:
PRODUCT
FATTY MATTER
Coffee cream
≥ 10%
Cream or cooking cream
≥ 20%
Cream or whipping cream
≥ 30%
Mascarpone cream
20-30%
For discontinuous churning
35-40%
For continuous buttering *
80%
(*) High-strength creams are obtained by carrying out a further centrifugation of 35-40% creams, in special skimmers and at high temperatures.
Whatever its destination, the cream must undergo, like milk, at least one pasteurization or UHT sterilization treatment to inactivate any microorganisms present. It is preferred to use this latter method for cream intended for direct consumption, such as cooking, whipping or coffee, while pasteurization is carried out, therefore a milder treatment, for cream intended for other uses.
The milk cream is therefore the raw material from which the butter is obtained, thanks to the subsequent churning step.
Other articles on "Butter"
- Churning
- Butter: nutritional value and classification
- Butter or margarine?
- Oil or Butter?
