Butterfat

Composition

Butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides. Each triglyceride contains three fatty acids. Butterfat triglycerides contain the following amounts of fatty acids (by mass fraction):

Butterfat contains about 3% trans fat, which is slightly less than 0.5 grams per US tablespoon. However, two Canadian studies have shown that vaccenic acid could be beneficial compared to vegetable shortenings containing trans fats, or a mixture of pork lard and soy fat, by lowering total LDL and triglyceride levels. A study by the US Department of Agriculture showed that vaccenic acid raises both HDL and LDL cholesterol, whereas industrial trans fats only raise LDL with no beneficial effect on HDL.

U.S. standards

In the U.S., there are federal standards for butterfat content of dairy products. Many other countries also have standards for minimum fat levels in dairy products. Commercial products generally contain the minimum legal amount of fat with any excess being removed to make cream, a valuable commodity.

• Milks
  • Non-fat milk, also labeled "fat-free milk" or "skim milk", contains less than 0.5% fat
  • Low-fat milk is 1% fat
  • Reduced-fat milk is 2% fat
  • Whole milk contains at least 3.25% fat
• Cheeses
  • Dry curd and nonfat cottage cheese contain less than 0.5% fat
  • Lowfat cottage cheese contains 0.5–2% fat
  • Cottage cheese contains at least 4% fat
  • Swiss cheese contains at least 43% fat relative to the total solids
  • Cheddar cheese contains at least 50% fat relative to the total solids
• Frozen desserts
  • Sherbet contains 1–2% fat
  • Lowfat ice cream, also called ice milk, contains no more than 2.6% fat
  • Ice cream contains at least 10% fat
  • Frozen custard, like ice cream, contains at least 10% fat, but it also must contain at least 1.4% egg yolk solids
• Creams
  • Half and half contains 10.5–18% fat
  • Light cream and sour cream contain 18–30% fat
  • Light whipping cream (often called simply "whipping cream") contains 30–36% fat
  • Heavy cream contains a minimum of 36% fat
  • Manufacturer's cream (not federally regulated) contains 40% fat
• Butter (including whipped butter) contains at least 80% fat

References

References

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3. (June 2025). "National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28". [[United States Department of Agriculture]]}}{{dead link.
4. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA). (2010). "Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for fats". EFSA Journal.
5. UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. (2007). "Update on trans fatty acids and health, Position Statement".
6. (2010). "Effect of animal and industrial trans fatty acids on HDL and LDL cholesterol levels in humans – a quantitative review". PLOS ONE.
7. (Dec 2007). "Trans fat". Health Canada.
8. (26 March 2010). "EFSA sets European dietary reference values for nutrient intakes". European Food Safety Authority.
9. [http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/2608879/trans-fats-from-ruminant-animals-may-be-beneficial Trans Fats From Ruminant Animals May Be Beneficial – Health News]. redOrbit (8 September 2011). Retrieved 22 January 2013.
10. (Jan 2010). "Dietary Vaccenic Acid Has Antiatherogenic Effects in LDLr-/- Mice". The Journal of Nutrition.
11. (2 April 2008). "Natural trans fats have health benefits, University of Alberta study shows". University of Alberta.
12. (20 May 2010). "Beneficial effects of vaccenic acid on postprandial lipid metabolism and dyslipidemia: Impact of natural trans-fats to improve CVD risk". Lipid Technology.
13. (2010). "Dietary Vaccenic Acid Has Antiatherogenic Effects in LDLr−/− Mice". The Journal of Nutrition.
14. David J. Baer, PhD. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Laboratory. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130208183218/http://wds2010.com/delegates/presentations/10wed/06-Session0_2-David%20Baer.pdf ''New Findings on Dairy Trans Fat and Heart Disease Risk''], IDF World Dairy Summit 2010, 8–11 November 2010. Auckland, New Zealand
15. (2010). "The potential of milk fat for the synthesis of valuable derivatives". European Food Research and Technology.
16. [https://www.ams.usda.gov/ United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service]
17. [https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/CIDMilkFluid.pdf USDA Commercial Item Description: Fluid Milk and Milk Products] (2018) Accessed January 29, 2020
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