Characterization of Retail Conventional, Organic, and Grass Full-Fat Butters by Their Fat Contents, Free Fatty Acid Contents, and Triglyceride and Fatty Acid Profiling

Abstract

In the Netherlands, butter is produced from milk originating from three different production systems: conventional, organic, and grass-fed cows. The aim of the current study was to characterize these types of butters, and pinpoint distinct compositional differences. Retail conventional (n = 28), organic (n = 14), and grass (n = 12) full-fat butters were collected during the winter and summer seasons. Samples were analyzed for their fat content, free fatty acid (FFA) content, and triglyceride (TG) and fatty acid (FA) profiles. The fat content was significantly lower in conventional butters than in organic butters and the FFA content was significantly lower in conventional butters compared with grass butters. Also, organic butters differed significantly from their conventional counterparts with regard to their TG and FA profiles. The TG profiles of the organic and grass butters did not differ significantly. The FA profiles of grass butters were less distinct, since only a few FAs differed significantly from conventional (six FAs) and organic (eight FAs) butters.

Evaluation of the quality of local butters: A new approach based on Raman spectroscopy and supported by the classical pycnometer method

“…While many studies are focused on the adulteration process of dairy products (De La Fuente and Juarez, 2005; Moore et al., 2012; Nedeljkovic et al., 2016) and quality evaluation of oils and fats in butters (Geana et al., 2015; Johns and Schmitz, 2013; Popescu et al., 2015; Zhu et al., 2018), there are few papers that compare the physico-chemical properties between commercial butters (conventional method of preparation) and organic (“bio”) butters (Pustjens et al., 2017). Since organic farming is expensive, in farmers’ market, people are expecting high-quality organic, “bio” products, prepared using less industrialized methods and sold directly by the farmer/manufacturer to the consumer.…”

“…Since organic farming is expensive, in farmers’ market, people are expecting high-quality organic, “bio” products, prepared using less industrialized methods and sold directly by the farmer/manufacturer to the consumer. An organic, “bio” butter is prepared from milk that comes from grazing cows (it is also called “grass” butter), whose diet does not include genetically modified plants and synthetic fertilizers/medicine, and it is prepared using manual methods (industrial processing alters the fat composition through a series of processes like inoculation of the cream with microbial lipases and milk fat fractionating) (Pustjens et al., 2017). It has been shown that the differences between organic butters and commercial butters are more pronounced in the winter and less obvious in the summer; this is due to a similar feeding of the cows during warmer months.…”

“…It has been shown that the differences between organic butters and commercial butters are more pronounced in the winter and less obvious in the summer; this is due to a similar feeding of the cows during warmer months. However, a clear distinction of “bio” butters (as evidenced by the triglyceride and fatty acid profiles) was not possible (Pustjens et al., 2017).…”

Food Identity, Authenticity and Fraud: The Full Spectrum

“…In the current Special Issue, novel fraud detection methods are presented. They deal with a number of fraud vulnerable commodities, such as seafood [ 3 ], olive oil [ 4 ], and dairy products [ 5 , 6 ]. Fraud categories covered include compositional fraud, for instance replacement of olive oil with other vegetable oils or the addition of egg yolk to sea urchin roe.…”

Organic milk: understanding intrinsic characteristics and their origin, and development of novel means of detection

“…The FA compositions of the milk samples were determined by a GC16958 (Agilent 7890A, Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, US) according to NEN-ISO 1740:2004 | IDF 6as fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) (Pustjens, Boerrigter-Eenling, Koot, et al, 2017). The GC was equipped with a 100 m x 0.25 mm x 0.2 µm film thickness fused silica capillary column (Varian, Palo Alto, CA) coupled to a flame ionization detector (column temperature 275°C).…”