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I sorted through packs of oil in the supermarket for a long time, muttering in confusion: “The most beautiful oil, the most excellent oil! I love him so much!” I love it for good reason: it is a rare product containing pure vitamin A, and vitamins D and E in addition. "calm down"? Butter is a dietary product. As for cholesterol, because of which many people are afraid of oil, it can be “bad” and “good”, and oil has nothing to do with it. Mentally divide the pack into three parts along and three across. One piece is the daily allowance.

How are butter varieties different?

It is not easy to choose butter because the labels mostly say the same thing - pasteurized cream. It is only from them, converted in a butter machine or separator, that the three fattest types of oil are composed: traditional - 82.5%, amateur - 80% and peasant - 72.5%. The remaining percentage is water and about 1% buttermilk.

These names, ratios and technologies are inherited from the old Soviet GOST, which in 2010 was replaced by the designation R 52969-2008. If you see it on the label, it means that the contents will please you with a taste familiar from childhood. Peasant oil, in the old days called "Chukhonsky", is the most popular type.

“According to our data, creaminess and pasteurization are most harmoniously combined in peasant butter,” Elena Topnikova, head of the buttermaking department at the All-Russian Research Institute of Buttermaking and Cheesemaking in Uglich, told me. “It retains biologically active substances and slows down the processes of oxidation.”

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Butter made from pure cream is called sweet cream. But acidified cream churns faster. If the manufacturer has added lactic acid cultures, the butter is called sour cream.

It may also contain salt. Although it seems to me that salt should be avoided where possible, or put salted butter in food cooked without salt at all.

GOST R 52253-2004 is on the labels of imported butter packaged in Russia, and means that the package contains butter, and not some mixture of fats of various origins. The same figures are for low-fat oils - sandwich (61.5%) and tea (50%) - they are lighter thanks to skim milk or buttermilk. They may also contain creamy flavors and stabilizers, which Elena Topnikova considers harmless: “These additives are allowed by Rospotrebnadzor, they are added in microdoses and do not cause significant harm. I like low-fat oils, but they are not produced in our country. They are light, low-calorie, just what you need in middle age. And the taste, smell and texture are similar to high-fat oils.

I haven't seen them in stores either. But I came across the fattest type of butter - ghee, 99%. This oil is for frying, it does not contain other fats, but I somehow prefer the idea of ​​frying in olive oil.


Butter quality marks

What else, besides the product name, composition and GOST, should you look for on the packaging? Elena Topnikova: “There must be a mark of conformity butter technical regulation. For example, “STR” or the phrase “Complies with the federal technical regulations for milk and dairy products.”

There is another sign of the quality of butter - this is its price. “It takes about 30 liters of milk to produce 1 kg of butter,” explained Igor Yadroshnikov, spokesman for Azbuka Vkusa. “It’s easy to calculate that if a pack costs less than 75 rubles, it can’t be butter.”

And finally, the shelf life. On the one hand, GOST requires oil to be stored for 30-35 days. On the other hand, on many brands of oil, this period is calculated in months. “The manufacturer has the right to deviate from the expiration date according to GOST if he receives approval from Rospotrebnadzor,” says Elena Topnikova. “So if there’s a longer term on the pack, it might be legal.” However, Igor Yadroshnikov is more skeptical: “There is a high probability that the manufacturer added animal fat to the oil to increase the time. This is practiced by producers from warm countries and producers focused on warm countries. So you do whatever you want, and I choose oil with a monthly shelf life.

When buying oil, smell it: a pure creamy smell familiar from childhood cannot be faked. If you buy oil by weight, pay attention to the cut: it should be dry, dense, shiny, without delamination. Natural oil is lighter in winter, yellower in summer, depending on the freshness of the grass. High-quality butter is easily spread on a sandwich. If the oil crumbles, it means that there is a lot of water in it.

butter rating

Denis Bykovskikh


1. The oil rating is deservedly headed by the old Russian know-how in buttermaking - Vologda Oil. Fat content - 82.5%. Ingredients: high-temperature pasteurized cream. Shelf life - 30 days. 116 rub. / 180 g.

It has GOST R 52253-2004, which is generally not accepted for oil of such fat content. It is produced according to special technical conditions, only in the Vologda region and only at three enterprises that have the legal right to this name: State Unitary Enterprise “Training and Experimental Dairy Plant of VGMMA named after V.I. N. V. Vereshchagin, CJSC Vologda Dairy Plant, OJSC Sheksninsky Butter Plant. They approved their regional document, TU 9221-001-54002969-2009. And only these designations can be present on real Vologda oil. All other oils with any variations of the word “Vologda” on the packaging differ from the original just like real Champagne from any fizz. For this oil, milk is taken from cows fed on grass, not silage, and the skimmed selected cream is heated to 97-98 degrees. As a result, "Vologda oil" acquires a marvelous nutty flavor. And a very sweet scent!

Denis Bykovskikh


2. Valio. Fat content - 82%. Ingredients: pasteurized cream, lactic microorganisms. The shelf life is amazing: 18 months at minus 18 and six months at plus 8! Produced and packaged in Finland. 78.5 rubles / 200 g. Butter from acidified cream, in my opinion, is difficult to distinguish from sweet cream. Separately, it is indicated that the product meets the Ecotest Plus environmental criteria.

Denis Bykovskikh


3. Beurre d "Isigny. Fat content - 80%. Ingredients: pasteurized cream, salt, sourdough from lactic acid cultures. Shelf life - 100 days. 211.3 rubles / 250 g. Oil produced in France. Designation "AOC" (Appellation d " origine controlee) means "controlled name" and is assigned to French wines and dairy products produced strictly according to the traditions of the area. For lovers of salted butter - for sure, a good find.

Denis Bykovskikh


4. president. Fat content - 82%. Ingredients: normalized cream. Shelf life - 8 months. RUB 73.3 / 200 g. Oil produced and packaged in France. However, the price is on the verge of suspicion. The inscription "Extra" says little: in our classification of oil varieties there are only the highest and the first, and what the enthusiastic French had in mind is a dark matter. For my taste, our traditional is better.

What is the difference between butter 72.5% and 82.5%?

Yes, now it has become a difficult question. Previously, according to GOST, 82.5% oil was called traditional, 72.5% - peasant. And it was believed that it was oil with a fat content of 72.5% that was more useful, because, it seems, all biological substances are preserved in it. It is now widely believed that anything below 82.5% is not oil! Because trans fats are added. And trans fats are vegetable oils that have hardened as a result of hydrogen being passed through them. Trans fats are very harmful to humans, they are very poorly excreted from the body. Personally, I buy 82.5% locally produced oil. I found it by sampling, focusing solely on taste. If you choose oil with a fat content of 82.5%, read the packaging carefully, because manufacturers are tricky
. I once bought 82.5% butter, tried margarine. Then on the packaging I found an inscription in small print (in the figure) it is hard to read that this is a spread with the addition of vegetable fats.

Therefore, be careful when choosing.

Based on personal experience, I advise you to choose oil with a higher fat content.

However, and this is not a guarantee of the right choice, it is necessary to read the composition. It is very important that the purchased oil does not contain vegetable fats. Unfortunately, this is what manufacturers often do.

Well, it is quite obvious that cheap butter will largely contain components far from butter, which, in fact, makes it cheaper.

If you directly answer the question, then the oil is fat, i.e. different percentages of fat.

And real oil can be 72.5% and 82.5% fat. This is not what determines the "real" butter.

It is necessary to look at the packaging of the composition of this oil (unless, of course, you believe the manufacturer). If butter is made from natural cream, then it is butter. Now often the composition includes plant components. This is essentially not oil, but a spread.

It is also worth paying attention to the manufacturer / brand that you trust. Vologda oil has always been famous. Only real, made in Vologda, and not just having this name. Or Finnish.

The fat content of butter, like other dairy products - sour cream, kefir, fermented baked milk, etc., can be different. The consumer himself will be able to choose the fat content he needs.
I try to buy butter (and kefir/ryazhenka) with less fat content.

Although now I no longer meet butter of such quality as in Soviet times. It became hard in the refrigerator and almost crumbled when cut, but now any oil is somehow soft, “spreads”.

★★★★★★★★★

How to choose good quality butter.

I agree that the fat content and quality mentioned in the question are not directly related.
Reading the label and focusing on taste is also not an indicator. Once I got into trouble by buying 2 packs of butter: one notorious spread for pastries, the other made only from cream for breakfast. The first pack was very tasty, albeit soft, and the second tasted pure margarine.

Apparently, real butter can be more likely to be bought from a private trader in the market - it is unlikely that the farmer has worked out the process of mixing vegetable and animal fats, and they are fighting for the client.

The fact that 72% fat butter is not creamy

Dear, you do not understand what you are writing about. Real butter CANNOT have a fat content below 80%. In no country in the world, except ours, there is no concept of "Butter 72%", because it is NOT butter. With a fat content below 80%, the oil a priori contains vegetable fats, EVERYTHING WRITTEN ON THE PACKAGING. Well, at least google before answering people

Butter is 82% butter and no other

It is believed that oil with a higher fat content is more natural, and, accordingly, more healthy and tasty.

Whatever oil you buy, always look at the composition.
Ideally, there should be cream without a hint of any vegetable fats.
Often butter with a percentage of 72.5% is made using these - vegetable fats, which have nothing to do with milk fat.
And, of course, keep in mind that a real little will not be cheap. Think about it: to make a kilogram of butter, you need to take twenty liters of milk! It turns out that the price for one kilogram of butter cannot cost less than five hundred rubles.

Be aware that there are a lot of fakes on the shelves with butter, but 82.5% butter is more difficult to fake than 72.5%.

Take a stroll through the dairy section and you will see that the selection of butter and margarine is huge. At the same time, both products are equally popular among the population. Each person has their own opinion that explains their choice. However, not everyone knows how butter actually differs from margarine.

Difference between butter and margarine

Although these products are used for basically the same purposes, they have little in common. The main factors that distinguish butter from margarine are the method of manufacture and composition. First of all, these products contain fats of different origin.

Butter

Butter lovers probably know that butter is made from milk. That is, it contains only animal fat. The main ingredient is fresh milk or cream. The selected component foams to separate the fat. In this case, the liquid solidifies.

Cow's milk is usually used to make the butter we buy in stores, although other varieties are sometimes substituted. Products from sheep or goat milk also available to the consumer.

The color of the finished oil can vary from white to deep yellow. In fact, the shade does not indicate the quality of the product, but the diet of the animal from whose milk it was made. Moreover, only one ingredient is required to churn liquid into a dense mass.

You may have noticed that butter is usually labeled "sweet creamy" on packages. Why is this happening? The answer suggests itself. It's just that the main component of this product is not milk, but cream. In addition, it is pasteurized or heated before churning. This is done to extend the shelf life of the manufactured product. In many countries, such as the United States, it is strictly forbidden to sell unpasteurized butter.

During churning, milk or cream turns into a thick paste. At the same time, the process itself contributes to the fact that air enters the mass, making it easier. That is why butter contains fewer calories than regular animal fats.

It must be clarified right away that not any of these products are completely natural. And although, it would seem, the very name “vegetable-creamy” contains the answer - not everything is so simple. food industry works to improve the quality of products, improving taste and appearance, increasing the shelf life. It's time to figure it out!

Features of vegetable fats

Manufacturers of cheese and dairy dishes create something new almost every year. However, in our case, it was not without rebranding. Making a mixture of fats is not a new technique. As well as the procedure for obtaining oil from seeds, which determines the type of component of non-animal origin. To understand the issue, you should understand what vegetable fats are.


Production methods

There are three main production methods:

  • Press cold. The seeds are crushed. Oil is squeezed out of the resulting paste by a press.
  • Press is hot. Here the paste is brought to a high temperature and only then the spin is made. The heated substrate releases more oil.
  • Extraction. Seeds are poured with a gasoline-like mixture, which washes away fat from them. Drain off the liquid and evaporate.

No less important is the type of flora the raw material belongs to. What determines the composition of the oil is the content of various vitamins and minerals in it. Olives, for example, are rich in a substance that contributes to the normalization of cholesterol status.

Flax contains a large amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Corn is rich in vitamin E.




Types of cleaning

Any oil is refined. On this basis, it is customary to distinguish the following types of product.

  • Unrefined oil- filtered, solid particles and fat-soluble contaminants are removed from it. Although smaller fractions of various parts of the seeds remain, giving it the taste and aroma characteristic of the original plant. An obvious candidate for salad dressing.
  • Refined oil, in addition to filtering, it undergoes additional purification steps. This affects its mechanical and culinary properties. It keeps longer and is better suited for frying.



The benefits and harms of vegetable fats

Any vegetable oil has a very useful ingredient are polyunsaturated fatty acids. These substances are in great demand in the creation of new cells in our body. Their role is important in the processes preventing the development of atherosclerosis. In general, their beneficial effect on the activity of the cardiovascular system is noted. They help reduce inflammation, improve the flow of nutrients to tissues.

There are types of vegetable fat that can be harmful to health. These are trans fats. This method of production is extremely profitable, and a product is created with useful logistical properties, with a long shelf life.


However, its true quality is manifested in the body. Such fat interferes with the work of enzymes, disrupts the work of the cellular ensembles of our body, forcing them to receive less nutrition, inhibiting metabolic processes in general. Prolonged consumption of such products leads to serious disturbances in the functioning of internal organs, obesity, and even reduces immunity. These substances are extremely dangerous for the child's body.


What is vegetable oil?

It is clear that the composition of the mixture is the percentage of animal and vegetable fats. The more vegetable additives, the less creamy product. And vice versa. If you are very strict in the classification, you can distinguish certain varieties.

Types of "butter spreads"

If we approach the classification, we can distinguish certain varieties.

  • Vegetable butter is the sweetish equivalent of a butter product. Palm, coconut and soybean oils are often found in its composition.
  • Vegetable-fat spread is usually made with increased requirements for the absence of cholesterol in it. Least calorie.
  • Butter-vegetable oil consists of animal fats flavored with vegetable fats. Its taste is sour. Enriched with polyunsaturated acids.

To distinguish them on the counter from the cow is quite simple. Natural butter will never cost a little.

A small price is a reason to study the label and ask about the composition. Often the product contains a significant content of vegetable fats. Since 2004, manufacturers have been required to name such products in a special way. For example, "cream product" or "spread".

However, do not rush to call vegetable-butter oil harmful or beneficial. Samples containing harmful fats must have a warning on their label. For example, the words "trans fats", "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated".

Fortunately, vegetable butter, or spread, without these health-threatening components, is now not uncommon. Many manufacturers are trying to promote these types of products, emphasizing the absence of trans fats in their composition. Messages about this, as a rule, try to place in the most visible place of the package.


First, the word "spread" is usually used to refer to a mixture of predominantly vegetable fats. This vegetable butter and differs from the spread. Secondly, in a broad sense, the word "spread" refers not only to oils and fats, but also to all viscous food mixtures that can be spread on bread. Translated from English, it means to stretch, smear. In relation to milk and vegetable fats, it will be correct to use a double word - "butter-spread".


Conclusion

Now it is clear that butter, which includes mixtures of vegetable fats, is a completely complete product. And it has the right to exist. The food industry is not yet able to completely abandon the use of extremely dangerous trans fats for humans.

Healthy vegetable butters and spreads are already on the market. At the moment, such a product is quite affordable. There is a basic rule that will protect you from eating foods containing hydrogenated fatty components. It is necessary to carefully study the list of components presented on the package.

For information on how to distinguish butter from spread, see the video below.

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Classmates

(from the English. Spread - smearing, stretching; spread is read) - a kind of food products based on a mixture of vegetable and milk fats with a mass fraction of total fat from 39 to 95%. Usually, a composition is selected in which, when chilled, it spreads more easily than natural butter.

At the same time, spread is not margarine. The difference is that margarine has virtually no milk fat and unlimited trans fatty acid content, making it an unhealthy food.

The spreads are dominated by unsaturated fatty acids (also monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). Butter contains mostly saturated fats. The World Health Organization in 2005 recommended reducing the intake of saturated fats to reduce the risk of heart disease.

The main advantage of spreads is that they have no or almost no cholesterol, which means there is a chance to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and, accordingly, heart attack and stroke.

If the word “spread” has not yet become familiar to the consumer, then the product itself, in one form or another, has been on our table for a long time. Many oils of various brands, including well-known ones sold on the country's market, are nothing more than a spread, because they contain impurities of non-dairy fats.

The name "creamy-vegetable spread" means that milk fat (cow butter) predominates in the composition of the product, and less than half of vegetable fats in it. In vegetable and creamy spreads, the opposite is true: less vegetable fats - more milk fats.

Spreads are divided into three subspecies:

  1. with a content of more than 50% milk fat - creamy-vegetable spreads;
  2. from 15 to 49% milk fat - vegetable and creamy spreads;
  3. in the complete absence of milk fat - vegetable-fat spreads.

Thus, the first subspecies of the spread is closest to natural butter, and the latter is almost pure margarine.

Global nutrition trends are associated with the creation of functional foods that improve health when they daily use. Functional components include vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, trace elements, bifidobacteria, antioxidants, polyunsaturated fats. One of the important directions in the development of functional products is the use in the nutrition of the population vegetable oils and fats.

It is very important what is the composition of vegetable fats used in the spread. Fats from a balanced blend of oils contain virtually no trans isomers and can be used in conjunction with milk fat.

For example, fats from mixtures of palm and coconut oils practically do not contain trans-isomers and can be used effectively mainly in combination with milk fat. But these same fats in a mixture with hydrogenated vegetable fats already contain from 16 to 26% trans-isomers. There are also artificial analogues of milk fat of the highest quality (mostly imported). Such fats contain only 6-7% trans-isomers.

Now technologies for making spreads have become very popular. As shown by foreign industrial experience, as well as the results of domestic scientific research, the spread is nothing more than a healthy food product with high consumer properties, and it is on this basis that it is worthy and fair competition.