L10: DSCI 290- Butter!

Butter is defined as a product that must contain at least 80% milk fat.
The milk fat component cannot include other animal fats; it has to exclusively derive from milk.
This definition is governed under an act of Congress, ensuring the legal standards for labeling a product as butter.

Butter consumption in the US has fluctuated over the years, with notable drops in the late 1990s followed by a resurgence starting around 2000.
Noteworthy statistics:
- In February 2012, per capita butter consumption reached a 40-year high of 5.6 pounds per person.
- As of recent reports, annual per capita consumption is about six pounds.
Internationally, India is the largest butter producer but also consumes nearly all its production, making it a non-exporter.
New Zealand, conversely, has a low population (around 4 million) but produces a significant amount of milk primarily for export (95% of milk produced).

The first step in making butter involves separating the cream from milk.
Large producers often have dedicated plants (like Land O' Lakes in Tulare) processing 12 million pounds of milk daily primarily for butter production.
Cream may be sourced from suppliers for smaller plants.
Key stages in cream handling:
- Cream Treatment: Promotes crystallization of milk fat.
- Phase Inversion: Churning process where emulsions change from oil in water (cream) to water in oil (butter).

Churning involves breaking fat globules and fusing them into larger aggregates.
Equipment may be batch or continuous churns, with continuous churns often used in large industrial settings.
Typical stepwise temperature treatment:
- Heat cream to about 60°F, then cool to around 45°F.
The goal is to produce an optimal mix of solid fat crystals and liquid fat to facilitate the butter-making process.

After churning, the buttermilk is drained off, and butter grains form.
The butter grains are then worked or texturized to achieve a desirable consistency.
During this working phase, excess moisture is squeezed out to achieve the desired final butter moisture content.

Cultured Butter: Made from fermented cream, providing a distinct flavor profile.
Sweet Cream Butter: Made from unfermented cream.
Ghee: Clarified butter, removing proteins and moisture, popular in Indian cooking.

It takes approximately 2 pounds of 40% cream to create 1 pound of butter.
Yield Efficiency: Ideally, a yield recovery of less than 0.7% fat loss to buttermilk is considered acceptable (meaning 99.3% remains in butter).

USDA grading for butter assesses flavor, body, color, and salt characteristics, with designations of Grade AA, A, and B.
Only butter that meets high flavor standards will receive the Grade AA designation.
Minor defects in flavor can lower the grading.

Butter's shelf life can be reduced by the presence of fat globule membranes in buttermilk, leading to a short shelf life.
Buttermilk is typically considered a byproduct and has less than 0.5% fat content.
Cultural references and anecdotes regarding butter production give insight into the historical and practical aspects of dairy farming.