Chapter 13

Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF)

(Butteroil)
Anhydrous milk fat and butteroil are products consisting of more or less
pure milk fat. Although they are modern industrial products, they have
ancient traditional roots in some cultures. Ghee, a milk fat product with
more protein and a more pronounced flavour than AMF, has been known
in India and Arab countries for centuries.

Anhydrous milk fat products are manufactured in three distinct qualities

specified by FIL-IDF International Standard 68A:1977:

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 • Anhydrous Milk Fat must contain at least 99.8 % milk fat and be made
from fresh cream or butter. No additives are allowed, e. g. for neutralisation
of free fatty acids.
• Anhydrous Butteroil must contain at least 99.8 % milk fat but can be
made from cream or butter of different ages. Use of alkali to neutralise free
fatty acids is permitted.
• Butteroil must contain 99.3 % milkfat. Raw material and processing
specifications are the same as for Anhydrous Butteroil.
In this chapter the expression AMF will be used for all products de-
scribed in FIL-IDF International Standard 68A:1977.

AMF characteristics
AMF is an excellent form for storage and transportation of butterfat because
it requires less space than butter, which was the traditional form for storage
of butterfat.
Butter is regarded as a fresh product, although it can typically be stored
at +4C for up to 4 – 6 weeks. If it is stored for a longer period of time, say
up to 10 – 12 months, a storage temperature of max. –25C is mandatory.
AMF, typically packed in 200-litre barrels with an inert gas, nitrogen (N2),
can be stored for several months at +4C. AMF is a liquid at temperatures
above 36C and solid below 16 – 17C.
AMF is convenient to use in liquid form because it is easy to mix with
and meter into other products. Thus AMF is used for recombination of vari-
ous dairy products, but it is also used in the chocolate and ice cream man-
ufacturing industries.

Milk
Skimmilk

Separation

Buttermilk
Preconcentration
Churning

Buttermilk
Cream
Butter
Cream

Inversion Melting
Crude oil Concentration

Concentration Buttermilk
Oil
Crude oil
Oil

Fig. 13.1 Basics of AMF production:

Concentration of milk fat, phase inver- Serum Oil Fat Membranes
sion, concentration of oil.

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 Demand for butter is decreasing, one reason being the
increased use of AMF. One field of application where the use Whole milk
of AMF will increase is in “blends “ of
different fat contents and with mixtures of
butter and vegetable oils, to make prod- Centrifugal
Skimmilk separation
ucts with different functional properties.
Customised fat products for various
applications can be obtained by fractionation of Cream
AMF. 40%

Concentration of
Production of AMF fat in two
different steps

Principles of production Method Method

Production of AMF principally takes place according I II
to two methods; the one in
a continuous flow direct
from cream (milk), the other "Buttermilk" Centrifugal pre- Butter making Buttermilk
~ 1% fat concentration (including phase ~ 0.6-0.8%
via butter. The block chart in inversion) fat
figure 13.2 visualises the
two methods.
Cream Butter
The quality of the AMF is a 75% fat ~ 80% fat
result of the quality of the raw
material and there should there-
fore be no difference whatever Phase inversion Melting
method is chosen. If, for any rea- by means of a holding
homogeniser
son, the respective qualities of
cream and butter should be con-
sidered not good enough, there "Buttermilk" Final centrifugal Final centrifugal Water
are some means to improve the 20-30% fat concentration concentration phase
same by polishing (washing) the oil
or even neutralise it before the final
evaporation step is passed. The way to perform Butteroil Butteroil
99.5% fat 99.5% fat
either of these operations is discussed below under
AMF refining.
Vacuum treatment Vacuum treatment

Manufacture of AMF from

cream AMF AMF
A production line for manufacture of AMF from 99.8% fat 99.8% fat
cream is outlined in figure 13.3. Fig. 13.2 Block chart showing principle of AMF production.
Pasteurised or non-pasteurised cream of 35 –
40% fat content enters the AMF plant via the bal-
ance tank (1) and is routed via the plate heat exchanger (2) for temperature
adjustment or pasteurisation to the centrifuge (4) for pre-concentration of
the fat to about 75%. (The temperature at pre-concentration and down-
stream to the plate heat exchanger (11) is maintained at approx. 60C.) The
“light” phase is collected in a buffer tank (6) to await further processing while
the “heavy“ phase, typically called buttermilk, can be passed through a
separator (5) for recovery of fat which will then be mixed with incoming
cream (3). The skimmilk goes back to the plate heat exchanger (2) for heat
recovery and thence to a storage tank.
After intermediate storage in tank (6) the cream concentrate is fed to a
homogeniser (7) for phase inversion, after which it is passed through the
final concentrator (9).
As the homogeniser operates at a slightly higher capacity than the final
concentrator, the surplus product not caught by the concentrator is recircu-
lated to the buffer tank (6). Part of the mechanical energy used in the ho-
mogenisation process is converted into heat; to avoid disturbing the tem-
perature cycle of the plant, this surplus heat is removed in the cooler (8).

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Fig. 13.3 Production line for AMF from cream 7 Homogeniser for phase inversion
1 Balance tank 8 Plate heat exchanger for cooling
2 Plate heat exchanger for heating or pasteurisation 9 Final concentrator
3 Balance tank 10 Balance tank
4 Pre-concentrator 11 Plate heat exchanger for heating/cooling
5 Separator (optional) for "buttermilk" from the 12 Vacuum chamber
pre-concentrator (4) 13 Storage tank
6 Buffer tank

Cream
Buttermilk Finally the oil, consisting of some 99.5% fat, is pre-heated to 95 – 98C
Heating media in a plate heat exchanger (11) and routed into a vacuum chamber (12) to
Cooling media obtain a moisture content not exceeding 0.1 %, after which the oil is cooled
Vapour (11) to 35 – 40C, the typical packing temperature.
The key components of an AMF plant operating on cream are thus sepa-
rators for concentration of fat and homogenisers for phase inversion.

Manufacture of AMF from butter

AMF is often produced from butter, especially from butter that is not expect-
ed to be used within a reasonable period of time. It has been found by
experience that there may be some difficulty in achieving a completely
bright oil after the final concentration step when freshly produced butter is
the starting material; the oil tends to be impaired by slight cloudiness. This
phenomenon does not occur with butter that has been stored for two
weeks or more.
The reason for this phenomenon is not fully understood, but it is known
that it takes some time (weeks) after churning before the “body” of the but-
ter is fully developed. It has also been noted that when samples of butter
are heated, the emulsion of fresh butter seems to be more difficult to split
than that of aged butter and that it does not look so bright either.
Sweet cream, non-salted butter is normally used as the raw material, but
cultured cream, salted butter may also be used.
Figure 13.4 shows a standard plant for production of AMF from butter.
The plant is fed with butter from boxes (25 kg) which have been stored for
some period of time. The raw material may also be frozen butter stored at –
25C.

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 After having been stripped of the boxes, the butter is melted by indirect
heating in equipment of various kinds. Before the final concentration starts,
the temperature of the melted butter should have reached 60C.
Melting by direct heating (steam injection) leads as a rule to formation of
a new type of emulsion with small air bubbles forming a dipersed phase,
which is very difficult to separate. In the subsequent concentration this
phase is concentrated together with the oil and causes cloudiness.
After melting and heating the hot product is pumped to a holding tank (2)
where it may be held for a certain period of time, 20 – 30 min, primarily to
ensure complete melting but also for protein to aggregate.

Fig. 13.4 Production line for AMF from butter.

1. Melter and heater for butter
2. Holding tank
3. Concentrator
From the holding tank the product is pumped to the final concentrator 4. Balance tank
(3), after which the light phase, containing 99.5% fat, proceeds to a plate 5. Plate heat exchanger for heating/
heat exchanger (5) for heating to 90 – 95C, thence to a vacuum vessel (6), cooling
and finally back to the plate heat exchanger (5) for cooling to the packing 6. Vacuum chamber
temperature of 35 – 40C. 7. Storage tank
The heavy phase can be pumped into a tank for buttermilk or into a
waste collecting tank, depending on whether it is “pure” or contaminated Cream
Buttermilk
with a neutraliser.
Heating media
If the butter comes direct from a continuous buttermaker, the same risk Cooling media
of obtaining a cloudy oil arises as in the aforementioned case of fresh butter. Vapour
However, with a final concentrator of hermetic design it is possible to regu-
late the level inside the machine to obtain a bright oil phase of 99.5% fat at
a slightly lower volume and a heavy phase of relatively high fat content,
about 7% fat, at a slightly higher volume. The heavy phase should then be
reseparated and the cream obtained recycled by mixing it with the cream
fed to the continuous buttermaker.

AMF refining
AMF can be refined for various purposes. Examples of refining processes
are:
• Polishing
• Neutralisation
• Fractionation
• Decholesterolisation

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 Polishing
Polishing involves washing of the oil with water to obtain a clear, shiny
(bright) product. In this step 20 – 30% water is added to the oil coming from
the final concentrator. The water temperature should be the same as the oil
temperature. After a short hold the water is separated out again, taking
water-soluble substances (mainly protein) with it.

Neutralisation
Neutralisation is performed to reduce the level of free fatty acids (FFA)
present in the oil. High levels of FFA give rise to off-flavours in the oil and the
products in which it is used.
Alkali (NaOH) at a concentration of 8 – 10% is added to oil in an amount
corresponding to the level of FFA. After a hold of approx. 10 seconds water
is added in the same proportion as for polishing, and the saponified FFA is
separated out together with the water phase. It is important that the oil and
alkali are well mixed, but this must be done gently to avoid re-emulsification
of the fat.
The arrangement of a neutralisation step is shown in figure 13.5. The
alkali solution in tank (1), at 8 – 10 % concentration and a temperature
equal to that of the oil leaving the final concentrator, is dosed (2) into the oil
stream. After thorough mixing (3) the flow passes a holding section (4) for
10 seconds, after which hot water is dosed into the stream (5) in an amount
of some 20 % of the flow en route to a second concentrator (6), via a mix-
ing unit (7).

Fractionation
Fractionation is a process where the oil is separated into high-melting and
low-melting fats. These fractions have different properties and can be used
in various products.
There are several methods of fractionating fat, but the most commonly
used is one in which no additives are used. The process can be briefly
described as follows:
The AMF, often polished to obtain the highest possible degre of purity in
the “raw oil”, is melted and then cooled slowly to a calculated temperature

Fig. 13.5 Neutralisation of free fatty

acids (FFA) can be one of the refining
processes in the production of Anhy-
drous Butteroil or Butteroil.
1. Tank for alkali
2. Dosing pump
3. Mixing equipment
4. Holding cell
5. Water injection
6. Separation of saponified FFA
7 Oil/water mixer

Butteroil
Alkali
Water

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at which the specified fraction crystallises out while fractions with lower
melting points remain liquid. The crystals are harvested with special filters.
The filtrate is then cooled to a lower temperature at which other fractions
crystallise and are harvested, and so on.

Decholesterolisation
Decholesterolisation is a process in which cholesterol is removed from the
AMF.
A frequently used method is to mix the oil with a modified starch, beta-
cyclodextrine (BCD). The BCD molecule surrounds the cholesterol and
forms a precipitate which can be separated out by centrifugation.

Packaging
AMF is filled in containers of various sizes. For households and restaurants
containers of 1 kg to 19.5 kg are available and for industrial uses drums of
minimum 185 kg.
Normally an inert gas, nitrogen (N2), is first injected in the container. As
thd N2 gas is heavier than air it sinks to the bottom. When filling the AMF –
that is heavier than N2 – the AMF will come underneath and the N2 gas will
create an "air-tight lid" preventing the AMF form air induced oxidation.

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