Butterfat

Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.

Composition

Butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides. Each triglyceride contains three fatty acids. Butterfat triglycerides contain the following amounts of fatty acids (by mass fraction):National Research Council, 1976, online edition Fat Content and Composition of Animal Products, Printing and Publishing Office, National Academy of Science, Washington, D.C., ; p. 203The quote values vary by 1–3% according to the source:

Butterfat contains about 3% trans fat, which is slightly less than 0.5 grams per US tablespoon. Trans fats occur naturally in meat and milk from ruminants. The predominant kind of trans fat found in milk is vaccenic fatty acid. Trans fats may be also found in some industrially produced foods, such as shortenings obtained by hydrogenation of vegetable oils. In light of recognized scientific evidence, nutritional authorities consider all trans fats equally harmful for health and recommend that their consumption be reduced to trace amounts. However, two Canadian studies have shown that vaccenic acid could be beneficial compared to vegetable shortenings containing trans fats, or a mixture of pork lard and soy fat, by lowering total LDL and triglyceride levels.Trans Fats From Ruminant Animals May Be Beneficial – Health News. redOrbit (8 September 2011). Retrieved 22 January 2013. A study by the US Department of Agriculture showed that vaccenic acid raises both HDL and LDL cholesterol, whereas industrial trans fats only raise LDL with no beneficial effect on HDL.David J. Baer, PhD. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Laboratory. New Findings on Dairy Trans Fat and Heart Disease Risk, IDF World Dairy Summit 2010, 8–11 November 2010. Auckland, New Zealand

Butterfat contains 3 to 4% tributyrin, a triglyceride (fat) and precursor of the short-chain fatty acid butyric acid, and is the richest-known food source of tributyrin.

+Milk fatty acids, length, and position on glycerol (1, 2, 3) Fatty acid length mol% (rounded) 1 2 3 Butyryl C4 12 0 0 100 Caproyl C6 5 0 7 93 Caprylyl C8 2 25 12 63 Capryl C10 4 17 27 56 Lauryl C12 4 42 53 5 Myristyl C14 11 29 52 19 Palmityl C16 24 47 45 8 Hexadecenoyl C16:1 3 36 46 18 Stearyl C18 7 49 45 6 Oleyl C18:1 24 42 26 32 Linoleyl C18:2 3 23 47 31

Standards

Most countries have standards for minimum fat levels in dairy products.

United States In the U.S., there are federal standardsUnited States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service for butterfat content of dairy products.USDA Commercial Item Description: Fluid Milk and Milk Products (2018) Accessed January 29, 2020USDA Specifications for Cream Cheese, Cream Cheese with other Foods, and Related Products (1994).United States Department of Agriculture Standard for Ice Cream (1977).USDA Commercial Item Description: Cream, Eggnog, Half-and-half, and Sour Cream (2002).

Milks Non-fat milk, also labeled "fat-free milk" or "skim milk", contains less than 0.5% fat Low-fat milk is 1% fat Reduced-fat milk is 2% fat Whole milk contains at least 3.25% fat Cheeses Dry curd and nonfat cottage cheese contain less than 0.5% fat Lowfat cottage cheese contains 0.5–2% fat Cottage cheese contains at least 4% fat Swiss cheese contains at least 43% fat relative to the total solids Cheddar cheese contains at least 50% fat relative to the total solids Frozen desserts Sherbet contains 1–2% fat Lowfat ice cream, also called ice milk, contains no more than 2.6% fat Ice cream contains at least 10% fat Frozen custard, like ice cream, contains at least 10% fat, but it also must contain at least 1.4% egg yolk solids Creams Half and half contains 10.5–18% fat Light cream and sour cream contain 18–30% fat Light whipping cream (often called simply "whipping cream") contains 30–36% fat Heavy cream contains a minimum of 36% fat Manufacturer's cream (not federally regulated) contains 40% fat Butter (including whipped butter) contains at least 80% fat Clarified butter contains 99% fat.

See also Buttermilk Clarified butter List of dairy products

References