Free Fatty Acids in Butter

One of a minor parameter, used to check butter quality is Free Fatty Acids (FFA). FFA is measured in % and shows the percentage of free fatty acids contained in butter (primarily such acids as Oleic, Myristic, Palmitic and others).

 

FFA should be close to zero percent. Hight FFA, % indicates that butter was not properly stored or produced not according to technology. If FFA is high, butter gets bitter taste - it means that fat in butter is getting worse.

 

Free fatty acids is a complex of Acids that occur come from fat cells, which are broken during production technology. Gomogenisation is breaking fat cells and if production was not made properly, ferments from milk and butter influence free fatty acids and we get bitter taste. This effect increases if butter is under direct sunlight or stored in not proper temperatures.

 

In Ukraine, there is no standard limit for FFA percentage. According to our data, butter in Ukraine has 0,3-0,6 % of FFA. Countries, with hot climate are very sensitive to FFA index, since if anything wrong happens during logistics - butter will be spoiled very fast.

 

prepared by:

Natalia Petrulia, Head of Laboratory

Serhiy Hrysyuk, CEO