BUTTER

Butter is a dairy product with high butterfat content which is solid

when chilled and at room temperature in some regions, and liquid
when warmed. It is made by churning fresh or fermented cream or
milk to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk

HEALTH BENEFITS
 Butter is Rich in Fat-Soluble Vitamins.
 Butter Contains a Lot of Healthy Saturated Fats.
 Butter Lowers Heart Attack Risk Compared to Margarine.
 Butter is a Good Source of The Fatty Acid Butyrate.
 Butter is Rich in Conjugated Linoleic
 Butter is associated with lower risk of obesity
 GHEE
Ghee, is a class of clarified butter that originated in India. It is
commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, cuisine of the Indian
subcontinent, Southeast Asian cuisine, traditional medicine, and
religious rituals

HEALTH BENEFITS
 It Has a High Smoke Point
 It's Packed with Fat-Soluble Vitamins
 It's Free of Lactose and Casein
 It Contains Conjugated Linoleic Acid
 It's Loaded with Butyrate
 It Has a Strong, Buttery Flavour
 It Strengthens Your Bones
 It Promotes Healthy Weight Loss
 It improves digestion

18.2.2 GHEE
Ghee is regarded as the Indian version of clarified butterfat,

mostly produced from cow milk, buffalo milk, or mixed milk

(Rajorhia, 1993; Sserunjogi et al., 1998). Its origin dates back

to prehistoric Indian civilization as far as 1500 bc. In some

Middle Eastern countries similar kinds of products are usually made from goat, sheep, or
camel milk and are commonly

known as maslee or samn. In Iran, ghee is called rogham

(Urbach & Gordon, 1994). Ghee is specified as containing a

minimum 99.6% milk fat and 0.4% free fatty acid with no

more than 0.1% moisture (Codex Alimentarius, 2006). In

India, the annual production of ghee has surpassed 800 000

tons, most of which is utilized for culinary purposes.

Ghee manufacture in India is largely based on the indigenous milk butter method, but the
creamery butter method is

now the most efficient procedure, and the majority of dairies

today use this method. This process starts with melting the

butter at 60°C, which is eventually delivered to the steam

pressure boiler. As shown in Fig. 18.1, the temperature in the

boiler is raised to 90°C and kept constant as long as moisture is being released. The scum
floating on top is removed

regularly using a perforated ladle. When the moisture has

been driven off, the temperature must be increased gradually. The end point is indicated when
fine air bubbles appear

on the surface and curd particles start to turn brown. Typical

ghee aroma is produced at this point. Afterwards ghee is

channeled into a storage tank through a clarifier and is

cooled to 60°C (van den Berg, 1988; Abhichandani et al.,

1995; Sserunjogi et al., 1998). To protect against tampering

and allow convenient transportation, ghee is typically packed

in tin cans with capacities ranging from 20g to 15kg. In

some cases, polymer-coated cellophane, nylon-6, polyester,

food grade PVC, or different types of laminates are used for

ghee packaging. The quality of ghee deteriorates if rancidity

develops. It has been reported that at ambient temperatures

ghee can be stored for 6–8 months; however, a longer shelflife up to 2 years has also been
observed (van den Berg,

1988; Rajorhia, 1993; Sserunjogi et al., 1998). For maintaining proper quality during storage
it has been suggested that

ghee should be stored at below 20°C

NUTRITIVE VALUES OF GHEE AND BUTTER

Dairy products, such as butter, ghee, and cream, have been

considered as a basic nutrient-dense food that can deliver

many energy-rich nutrients. These energy-rich nutrients

include a large variety of essential nutrients like fats,

minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, and are important to

support overall body function, along with various health

beneficial compounds, such as fatty acids, phospholipids,

and probiotics, which deliver various functional ingredients. Even though dairy products are
recommended for a

healthy diet, they are often eliminated due to the presence

of saturated fat. However, each dairy product varies in

composition and is discussed in relation to their beneficial health properties.

18.3.1 BUTTER
The composition of butter from bovine milk is listed in

Table 18.1. Proximate compositions include fat 81.1%,

carbohydrate 0.1%, protein 0.9%, ash 2.1%, and water

15.9%. Fat compositions are listed in Table 18.2. Butter

has a saturated fat content around 51.4%, with saturated

fats, such as palmitic and stearic acid, which are double the

concentration of those in cream and other dairy products.

However, stearic acid is beneficial to health and lowers the

level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in blood. Butyric

acid is at a greater concentration in butter than other shortchain fatty acids (SCFAs). It causes
a rancid off-flavor in

Table 18.1. Proximate composition of butter,ghee, and cream

products (%) from cow milk.
CONSTITUENTS BUTTER GHEE
FAT 81.11 99
CARBOHYDRATE 0.06 -----
PROTEIN 0.85 0.29
ASH 2.11 -----
WATER 15.87 0.27

Source: adapted from USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard

Reference, Release 23 (2010)

butter, which is undesirable during storage. However,

phospholipids have many biological activities which are

essential for human health.

Amino acids, minerals, and vitamins in butter are listed

in Tables 18.3 and 18.4. Glutamic acid, leucine, and proline are a little more common than
other amino acids in

cream. Minerals are in lower concentrations in butter than

in cream. Major minerals, such as calcium, magnesium,

and potassium, are a little higher than other minerals. Fatsoluble vitamins are a little higher in
butter than in cream,

such as vitamin A, carotene, and vitamin K. Vitamin K has

a protective role in hepatocarcinoma.

18.3.2 GHEE
The composition of ghee based on cow milk is listed in

Table 18.1. Proximate compositions of ghee are fat 99%,

protein 0.3%, and water 0.3%. Fat compositions are listed

in Table 18.2. Saturated fatty acids (57.5g per 100g) are

the major component of fat in ghee. Predominant saturated

fatty acids include palmitic, stearic, and myristic acid. The

concentrations of these fatty acids are higher than found in

butter. However, SCFAs in ghee, such as butyric, caproic,

caprylic, and capric acid, are in lower concentrations than

in butter. This give ghee a longer storage life than butter

with less rancid off-flavor. These fatty acids are potentially

beneficial for reducing body weight and body fat. Further,

these fatty acids are easily digestible and transferred

directly from the intestine to the portal circulation and are

a preferred source of energy (β-oxidation). Higher concentrations of monounsaturated and

polyunsaturated fatty acid

are found in ghee, and these have various biological

benefits.

Amino acids, minerals, and vitamins in ghee are listed in

Tables 18.3 and 18.4. Total amino acid concentrations are a

little lower in ghee than in butter. Minerals are relatively

low in ghee. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, carotene, and vitamin K, are found in
similar concentrations to

those in butter. The heating process of ghee causes certain

losses in vitamins, and in particular water-soluble vitamins

are negligible in ghee

18.4 HUMAN HEALTH BENEFIT COMPONENTS

IN BUTTER, GHEE, AND CREAM

Butter, ghee, and cream products play an important role in

supplying various health-enhancing components to the human

diet. These components are found mainly in MFGM, CLA,

and SCFAs. They aid in the prevention of various diseases,

such as osteoporosis, cancer, atherosclerosis, and other degenerative disorders in humans.

Some components are endowed

with nutrients, such as peptides, lipids, minerals, and vitamins, which have bioactive
properties along with beneficial effects, and they extend the lifespan of humans. During the

manufacture of sour cream and butter, lactic acid bacteria are

added, which can generate various metabolites during the fermentation process. These
probiotic microorganisms exert

their beneficial properties through two mechanisms, indirectly

through supplementing metabolites and directly by providing

live cells. The sphingolipids and their metabolites have healthenhancing functions, including
antimicrobial activity on certain pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, inhibition of

colon cancer, and regulation of the immune system. Dahi, a

fat-enriched Indian sour cream product made from milk, has various health beneficial
activities because of the rich supply of lactic acid bacteria and their metabolites produced
during
the fermentation (Vijayendra et al., 2008).

against age-associated bone loss or osteoporosis (Rahman

et al., 2006). The antiosteoporotic function of CLA was

supported when Rahman et al. (2011) reported that the

trans-10, cis-12 isomer modulated osteoclastogenesis and

bone marrow adiposity. CLA also has been found to exert

a protective function against rheumatoid arthritis by reducing inflammatory cytokines (Hur &
Park, 2007). CLA is a

promising functional ingredient to prevent age-related

bone loss by improving bone mineral density and modulating bone formation.

Nowadays, natural dietary supplements are of great

importance in the fight against most chronic diseases.

Owing to its great potential in preventing many serious

health problems, CLA has been targeted as a prospective

dietary supplement. Milk and milk products like cream,

butter, and ghee are plentiful sources of CLA. Further,

altering the feeding programs of dairy cows may result in

greater concentration of CLA in milk and dairy products,

and make the consumption of those products worthwhile in terms of health benefits.

CONCLUSION
Butter and cream are fat-enriched products with functional

ingredients, and have proven beneficial effects. Ghee has a

long history as a healthy food and traditionally has been

used as a sacred food on the Indian subcontinent for centuries. The large evidence of
scientific proof indicates that

various bioactive compounds, such as MFGM, CLA,

SCFAs, and MCFAs, in butter, ghee, and cream provide

beneficial effects on various human diseases. However,

these compounds are also rich in saturated fat, which makes

consumers hesitate to consume these products. Recent

advances in the development of these products, such as low

cholesterol and low fat cream, butter, and ghee, will reduce

negative attitudes toward their consumption. In addition to

the native functional milk components in fermented butter,

ghee, and cream, some bioactive components are also

derived during fermentation which have been proven to be

health beneficial and aid longevity in all human age groups.

More research is needed on cholesterol and saturated fat

lowering in butter, ghee, and cream, and on their new bioactive components to benefit human
health and well-being.

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