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Aroma-active compounds of butter: a review

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Abstract

This review article shows that more than 230 volatile compounds have been identified in butter, however, only a small number of them can be considered as key odorants of butter aroma. Gas chromatography olfactometry was used to determine the character impact odorants of different kinds of butter. Sweet cream butter is characterised by lactones with fruity and creamy notes and by sulphur compounds, having corn-like and garlic odours. The key odour compounds of sour cream butter are diacetyl (buttery-like), butanoic acid (cheesy) and δ-decalactone (peach), mainly due to lactic acid bacteria fermentation. The aroma of butter oil is characterised by aldehydes, such as (E)- and (Z)-2-nonenal and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, conferring green and oily notes. Olfactometric studies of heated butter showed the formation of new aroma compounds during heating, such as 3-methylbutanoic acid (cheesy), methional (potato-like) and 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3-(2H)-furanone (caramel-like). High temperature treatment of butter can also induce off-flavour development. Off-odours in butter originate from autooxidative and as well as from lipolytic reactions, microbial contamination and animal feeding.

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Abbreviations

AEDA:

Aroma extract dilution analysis

BO:

Butter oil

CharmAnalysis™:

Combined hedonic aroma response measurement

DMS:

Dimethyl sulphide

DMTS:

Dimethyl trisulphide

FD:

Dilution factor

FID:

Flame ionisation detector

GC × GC:

Two dimensional gas chromatography

GC-MS:

Gas chromatography mass spectrometry

GC-O:

Gas chromatography olfactometry

OAV:

Odour activity value

SIDA:

Stable isotope dilution assay

SNIF:

Surface nasal impact frequency

SoCB:

Sour cream butter

SPME:

Solid phase microextraction

SwCB:

Sweet cream butter

TOF-MS:

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Brita Rehberger, Claude Hegel and Walter Strahm (Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Switzerland) for useful discussions and Christoph Cerny (Firmenich, Geneva, Switzerland) for critically reviewing the manuscript.

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial participation from the European Community under the Sixth Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities, for the Integrated Project QUALITYLOWINPUTFOOD, FP6-FOOD-CT-2003-506358 and co-funding by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux Research Station ALP, Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, 3003, Berne, Switzerland

    Silvia Mallia & Hedwig Schlichtherle-Cerny

  2. Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, Food Technology and Sensory Science, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland

    Felix Escher

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  1. Silvia Mallia
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Correspondence to Hedwig Schlichtherle-Cerny.

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The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use, which might be made of the information contained herein.

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Mallia, S., Escher, F. & Schlichtherle-Cerny, H. Aroma-active compounds of butter: a review. Eur Food Res Technol 226, 315–325 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-006-0555-y

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