Grocery stores today offer a fairly wide range of dairy products from various manufacturers. No exception - and butter. However, not every product with this inscription on the package is truly quality. The production cost of this product is high. Some unscrupulous manufacturers use different additives in the production, which significantly reduce costs. How to determine the quality of butter at purchase?
What is butter?
Butter is concentrated milk fat obtained from cream as a result of churning or other process. Cream must be made from cow's milk. Russian- made butter is different from foreign counterparts. The taste of cream is characteristic of it. In our country, mainly sweet cream butter is made from pasteurized sweet cream.
In addition to milk fat, butter contains protein, carbohydrates, vitamins A, C, D, E, calcium, iron, copper, zinc and other trace elements, which makes it truly irreplaceable. Doctors recommend consuming 10-30 grams of this product daily.
In recent years, there has been a tendency to falsify this product by adding vegetable fats (such as palm oil). In addition, various emulsifiers, colorants, flavors, acidity regulators and preservatives are added. Such falsifications do not benefit the body and can even do harm.
Both manufacturers and experts know how to determine the quality of butter. For this, a chromatographic analysis is performed under laboratory conditions. This makes it possible to evaluate the fatty acid composition of the oil. Such a laboratory examination costs a lot of money, so it is often not available to ordinary people.
How to determine the quality of oil (butter), and what should I look for when buying?
Smell and taste
The good quality of butter is evidenced primarily by the pronounced taste of milk cream. It may also have a slight aftertaste of sour cream. If the taste is bitter, then this indicates that mold has formed on the oil as a result of improper storage or violation of the technology of production processes. Good quality butter melts in your mouth, leaving a milky aftertaste. However, it is not always possible to test it this way when buying.
A sign of a natural product is the absence of odors. If the oil exudes aroma through the packaging, it is highly likely that it is fake.
Color
How to determine the quality of butter by color? This product acquires a light yellow tint due to the use of dye - beta-carotene during its preparation (permitted by GOST). An intense yellow hue should alert the buyer. High-quality butter is almost white. Light cream is considered acceptable.
Packaging
Evaluation of the quality of butter begins with its packaging. This is the first thing you should pay attention to when buying. Modern manufacturers apply a huge variety of tricks, so that customers buy their product exactly. A beautiful foil wrapper is far from a guarantee of quality.
First you need to familiarize yourself with the composition of the product. It must contain milk and cream. If other oils are indicated there, for example palm or peanut, before you definitely margarine.
On the package must necessarily appear the inscription "butter". Quality requirements are regulated by the state standard - GOST R52969-2008 “Butter. Specifications ”, which manufacturers are obliged to indicate on the packaging. On packs of falsified product in capital letters the word “GOST” without numbers can be indicated.
The fat content of high-quality butter is 82.5%. Only margarine has low fat content and low calorie content.
It is best to purchase a product wrapped in foil, as it does not transmit light. This indicates that the oil deteriorates quickly, which means it is natural.
Consistency
How to determine the quality of butter when buying? Another option is a careful study of its consistency. In the warehouse of the store this product is usually stored at a temperature not exceeding 5 ° C. When unpacking the package, there should be no traces of oil on it. When traces remain on the wrapper, it is highly likely that it is fake.
Hardness
Press the packaging slightly with your finger. High-quality butter is quite solid, so there will be no dents on it. If you put pressure on the packaging is not difficult, so that even you could immediately spread it on a piece of bread, before you see a product with the addition of vegetable oils. If the oil has a low fat content, it will be soft.
Shelf life
Be sure to pay attention to the shelf life of the product. Oil sold by weight is stored for no longer than 10 days, but if it is packed in a metal can - no more than 3 months. Falsification containing vegetable fats is stored much longer due to the preservatives in its composition. Remember the rule: the shorter the shelf life of butter, the less it contains chemistry.
Is price a measure of quality?
In practice, it has long been proven that the quality of any product is far from always determined by its price. An exception to this issue is not butter. However, too low a price should also alert the potential buyer.
When producing a kilogram of this product of acceptable fat content, at least 20 liters of cow's milk must be used. Modern manufacturers are unlikely to work at a loss. Economists say the cost of a kilogram of good quality oil is at least 10 liters of cow's milk.
How to determine the quality of butter at home?
Unfortunately, we do not always succeed in checking the quality of the product while still in the store. Sometimes we just don’t have time for this, and we take on the counter the first butter (cream) that comes to hand. How to check the quality of the house? There are several ways:
- Cut a small piece of butter, put it on a saucer. Let it stand at room temperature for about an hour and a half. High-quality oil will soften, but retain its previous shape and will not spread, which cannot be said about spreads and margarines.
- When slicing, a quality product does not stick to a knife.
- Heat a frying pan on a stove and melt a block of oil on it. In addition to milk fat, natural creamy butter also contains buttermilk (approximately 20%), therefore, when heated, it will sprinkle and foam.
- Cut a stick of butter, put it on a saucer, then place everything in the freezer for about an hour. When frozen, crumbs should not form when sliced.
- Take a small piece of cardboard and spread a thin layer of butter on it. Ideally, when pressed with a knife, drops of liquid should form on the surface of the oil. If this does not happen, this indicates that the manufacturer added emulsifiers (they make the consistency of the product more plastic).
- The good quality of the oil is indicated by its uniform consistency. On the cut, the bar will shine. Butter should be easily spread on bread.
- The color of the product should be uniform, without dark crusts.
If you yourself have conducted such simple tests, and the oil you bought successfully passed them, this product can be called good with full confidence.
If you always buy butter and are satisfied with its quality, you should not conduct experiments to find this product from another manufacturer. It is best to buy a product whose quality is beyond doubt.
Butter is a product that should be present on our table every day. It contains a large amount of vitamins and nutrients. So that you do not fall into the hands of counterfeit, you need to know the quality indicators of butter. This information on the packaging, taste, color, smell, hardness, consistency. Testing can also be done at home. Do not let unscrupulous manufacturers fool you, because otherwise you overpay for a poor-quality product and put your health at risk.