Relationship between the physical properties of butter and water loss during lamination

Abstract

AbstractButter provides ideal flavor and texture in laminated pastries. During industrial production of butter for pastries, the butter structure can break due to shear forces during lamination resulting in water loss (WL). This WL in during lamination can affect the desired qualities of the pastry. There is a need to unveil the physical properties that drive WL in butter processing. The objective of this study was to characterize the physical properties of seven commercial butter products and correlate these properties to WL during processing. The physical properties evaluated included solid fat content (SFC), water content, water droplet size, viscoelastic behavior, melting profile, hardness, and WL. Water content is the only characteristic that was significantly correlated to WL. Regression analysis showed that an increase in water content, high melting fraction enthalpy, and water droplet size, and a decrease in the viscoelastic phase shift angle increased WL. Correlation analysis was also performed in high fat content butter (>83% butterfat) and regular fat content butter (<83% butterfat) separately. The WL in high fat butters had significant negative correlations with G′ and G″ and significant positive correlations with SFC at 5, 10, and 15°C (α = 0.05). The WL of regular fat butters had significant positive correlations with hardness, water droplet size, and SFC at 30°C (α = 0.05). No other significant correlations were identified with WL in these two groups. Overall, these results show that various physical properties can affect butter quality for lamination purposes including water content, water droplet size, viscoelasticity, and melting behavior.