Abstract

While traditional butter has been the spread of choice for many years because of the full flavour and excellent storage properties, since the advent of household refrigerators the lack of spreadability of butter when taken directly from the refrigerator has been seen as a negative characteristic. The approach taken in this study was to modify the composition of the milk from the cow through feeding trials carried out at Dexcel. However the final product must be able to be processed through a dairy plant and to have the performance that the customer requires. This means that it is not enough to know that the composition has changed but that the physical properties produced by these changes are advantageous. The goal therefore was to make the link between the properties required and to work to produce modifications that would produce those properties. This was achieved by defining the links between the product and the milkfat composition and making the physical properties such as solid fat content a target. The goal of producing a spreadable butter using modified milkfat was achieved however there is still a need to develop a profitable farm system.

AKH, MacGibbon, van der YE Does, BG Mabey, GJ Deller, and NA Thomson

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 62, Palmerston North, 104-107, 2002