Butterfat
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Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.
[edit] Composition
The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows (by mass fraction):[1]
- Saturated fatty acids:
- Palmitic acid: 31 %
- Myristic acid: 12 %
- Stearic acid: 11 %
- Lower (at most 12 carbon atoms) saturated fatty acids: 11 %
- Unsaturated fatty acids:
- Oleic acid 24 %
- Palmitoleic acid 4 %
- Linoleic acid 3 %
- Linolenic acid 1 %
[edit] U.S. Standards
In the U.S., there are federal standards for butterfat content of dairy products.[1] Commercial products generally contain the minimum legal amount of fat.
- Milks
- skim milk contains less than 0.5% fat, typically 0.1%
- lowfat milk contains between 0.5-2% fat; 1% and 2% varieties are widely marketed
- whole milk contains at least 3.25% fat
- Cheeses
- dry curd and nonfat cottage cheese contain less than 0.5% fat
- cottage cheese contains at least 4% fat
- lowfat cottage cheese contains 0.5-2% fat
- cheddar cheese contains at least 50% fat relative to the total solids
- Swiss cheese contains at least 43% fat relative to the total solids
- Frozen desserts
- 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
[edit] References
- ^ National Research Council, 1976, Fat Content and Composition of Animal Products, Printing and Publishing Office, National Academy of Science, Washington, D.C., ISBN 0-309-02440-4; p. 203, online edition
