Oxidation Stability of Butter

Butter is an emulsion of water in oil, approximately composed of 80% fat. In good butter, the moisture is evenly dispersed throughout the butter in tiny droplets. One of the most important ways food quality can be affected is due to oxygen absorption by the unsaturated fatty acids, free or esterified. The auto-oxidation of fats is a chemical reaction promoted by oxygen, light, high temperatures, metal traces and, sometimes, enzymes. This application note demonstrates the use of the OXITEST to determine the oxidation stability of various sample types, without the need for preliminary fat separation.