Abstract
In the Netherlands, butter is produced from milk originating from three different production systems: conventional, organic, and grass-fed cows. The aim of the current study was to characterize these types of butters, and pinpoint distinct compositional differences. Retail conventional (n = 28), organic (n = 14), and grass (n = 12) full-fat butters were collected during the winter and summer seasons. Samples were analyzed for their fat content, free fatty acid (FFA) content, and triglyceride (TG) and fatty acid (FA) profiles. The fat content was significantly lower in conventional butters than in organic butters and the FFA content was significantly lower in conventional butters compared with grass butters. Also, organic butters differed significantly from their conventional counterparts with regard to their TG and FA profiles. The TG profiles of the organic and grass butters did not differ significantly. The FA profiles of grass butters were less distinct, since only a few FAs differed significantly from conventional (six FAs) and organic (eight FAs) butters.
Highlights
In the Netherlands, butter is produced from milk originating from three different production systems: conventional production, organic production, and a specialized part of the conventional system in which cows are grass-fed
Retail conventional, organic, and grass full-fat butters were analyzed for their fat contents, free fatty acid (FFA) contents, TG profiles, and fatty acid (FA) profiles
The fat contents were significantly lower in conventional butters compared to organic butters
Summary
In the Netherlands, butter is produced from milk originating from three different production systems: conventional production, organic production, and a specialized part of the conventional system in which cows are grass-fed. According to European regulations (EC Regulation 889/2008 [1]), organic milk comes from cows that can roam freely (weather and health permitting) and are fed organic feed which contains at least 60% roughage. Their diet cannot contain genetically modified ingredients. Grass butter is made from milk produced by cows with access to fresh grass. Grass butter was only produced during a short period of the year when cows are transferred from the stables to the pasture, but nowadays all
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