DSC and EPR investigation of the effect of fat crystallization on the consistency of butter

Abstract

It was possible to determine the liquid fat content and melting behaviour of butters unenriched and enriched in low melting point milk fat fraction (mp=10‡C) made from traditionally (6-11-11‡C) and heat step technology ripened (6-20-11‡C) cream by using EPR spectroscopy and ultrasensitive DSC methods.

It was determined that

• butters made from heat step technology (H) ripened cream have smaller liquid fat content in the continuous fat phase than that of made from traditionally (K) ripened cream.

• there were different fat melting behaviours: the K-butter in temperature range of 0–20‡C had one melting peak while H-butter had two ones, and

• the effect of enrichment is different in the fraction of low melting point: the melting temperature decreased in the case of K-butter, but the H-butter exhibited smaller enthalpy at the lower melting temperature having same melting temperatures.

Our experiments support the view that H-butter is much more structured than K-butter which is caused by fat fragments containing cubic crystals, developed during the ripening of heat step technology. With respect to the minimum liquid fat content of maximum fat fragments, and vice versa, the cream ripening temperature of solid and spreadable butter can be optimalized by determination of cream ripening temperature-liquid fat content function (min.-max. curve)

The experiments have proved without any doubt that butter of cold spreadable, not softening at room temerature, can be only produced by the combination of heat step cream ripening and enrichment with a low melting point fraction.