Dictionary Definition
butterfat n : the fatty substance of milk from
which butter is made
User Contributed Dictionary
English
See also
Extensive Definition
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are
often sold according to the
amount of butterfat they contain.
Composition
The fatty acids of
butterfat are typically composed as follows (by mass
fraction):
- 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%
U.S. Standards
In the U.S., there
are federal
standards for butterfat content of dairy
products.http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/buydairy/buydairy.txt
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
See Also
References
butterfat in Bosnian: Mliječna masnoća
butterfat in German: Milchfett
butterfat in Dutch: Melkvet
butterfat in Russian: Молочный жир
butterfat in Slovenian: Mlečna maščoba
butterfat in Tagalog: Taba ng
gatas