Butter
| Infobox on Butter | |
|---|---|
| Example of Butter |  |
| Facts | |
| Origin | This Table shows only a selection of the most important countries of origin and should not be thought of as exhaustive.
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| Stowage factor (in m3/t) |
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| Angle of repose | - |
| Humidity / moisture |
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| Oil content | Chemically speaking, butter consists of the following constituents:
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| Ventilation | 15 - 20 circulations/hour without supply of fresh air in order to ensure uniform cooling of the cargo in the hold.br>Fresh air should not be supplied in order to avoid any possible increase in temperature and the introduction of microorganisms into the holds. |
| Risk factors |
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Butter
Description
There are generally two varieties of butter:
- Sweet cream butter
- Sour cream (lactic) butter
which can only be easily distinguished organoleptically from one another.
The salt content may vary from 0,5 to 1,5% or even higher in those countries where salt is popular. However, butter is also shipped in unsalted form. Butter is normally packed in bulk, in 25 kg blocks, wrapped in polythene or vegetable parchment, and placed in corrugated fibreboard cases, sealed with adhesive tape, also packed in foil or parchment wrapped packets in corrugated fibreboard cases. Small quantities of butter are also packed in cans of various sizes.
The choice of inner bulk wrap, plastic or parchment, is important as the use of a poor quality wrap will increase the rate of development of surface deterioration. Packaging should be in close contact with the butter so as to exclude air from the surface which will lead to oxidation problems. Apart from the surface effect, the outer carton has little influence on the keeping quality except to prevent access of absorbed taints. Butter should not be stored with products having a strong odour, such as fuel oil, fruit etc.
Although butter microbiologically is fairly stable, chemically it is less stable and for this reason it must be held approximately -12°C during storage and shipment. Provided there is no fault in the butter at the time of production, damage to butter in transit is most often caused by temperature fluctuation. There is a progressive increase in the rate of deterioration with rise in temperature, leading to condensation of moisture on the wrapper and mould development. The presence of mould will be evident by the development of surface growths, bright red stains, blackish spots spreading to brown stains, green surface growths, etc. If there is gross mould growth in the butter and atmosphere will be characterized with a musty odour. Poor storage conditions and inferior packaging can also contribute to mould growth. The presence of salt or lactic acid inhibits the growth of yeasts, mould and bacteria.
The growth of micro-organisms and the action of atmospheric oxygen give rise to off-flavours which can render the butter inedible. Ultra violet light has a pre-oxidative effect and also increases the rate of development of tallowy off-flavours and as such bulk butter without wrapping should not be exposed to daylight for long periods.
Butter packed in cans is quite stable at temperatures up to about 20°C. Above this temperature melting might occur, which destroys the texture and may affect the flavour.
Pallet loads of butter which have been shrink wrapped suffer less damage as condensation forms on the wrap and the cases are protected. If cartooned butter is subjected, while in transit, to fire, smoke, etc., it is likely that a taint will occur and the most probable entry is through the seam of the outer carton.
Chemically speaking, butter consists of the following components:
- fats approx. 82%
- water approx. 16%
- non-fat milk components approx. 2%
The main constituents of butter are glycerol and Fatty Acids.
Butter is transported in either chilled or frozen condition. The advantages of transport in frozen condition are, 1) a longer storage life and, 2) greater stackability of the product. These advantages are counterbalanced by the greater refrigeration capacity required throughout the transport chain.
The most important quality changes are:
Rancidity:
Butter primarily tends to become rancid due to the action of atmospheric oxygen, light, heat, water, metals, enzymes (lipases) and microorganisms.
Souring:
Bacteria, mold, water, air, light, enzymes and some metals can accelerate souring.
Tallowiness:
Tallowiness is caused by the increase in melting point under the action of water, atmospheric oxygen and light.
Edge yellowing:
Evaporation of water results in a daerker yellow color on the blocks of butter, starting from the edges.
Applications
Butter is primarily used as a foodstuff (spread). It is a high-quality edible fat.
Shipment/storage
Since butter is highly impact- and pressure-sensitive, appropriate care must be taken during cargo handling.
It is also imperative that the goods be protected from moisture (rain, snow) during cargo handling and from excessively high temperatures. It is absolutely essential to comply with the specified refrigeration temperature.
Because of its considerable impact- and pressure-sensitivity, packages of this cargo must be secured in such a way that they are prevented from damaging each other. Spaces between packages or pallets must be filled, to prevent slippage or tipping. By selecting the correct packaging size or cargo unit (area module or area module multiple), holds can be tightly loaded (without spaces.
Temperature
Due to its high water content butter is subject to rapid microbiological spoilage at normal temperatures.
Butter may be transported either frozen or chilled. The following Tables merely constitute a rough estimate of appropriate temperature ranges. Temperatures may deviate from these values, depending on the particular transport conditions.
Frozen butter:
Travel temperature (favorable temperature range) -16 to -18°C
Butter must be flash-frozen to protect it from losses in quality. The rapid cooling results in the formation of only small ice crystals, which have no negative effects. If, however, the temperature is reduced very slowly, relatively large ice crystals are formed which can result in losses of quality (crumbly texture).
Chilled butter:
Loading temperature: 4°C
Travel temperature (favorable temperature range): 1 to 4°C. The melting point of butter is 20 to 25°C.
At temperatures of above 8°C, distortion of the product may occur. At temperatures below 0°C, losses in quality (crumbly texture) may occur due to excessively slow cooling of the butter.
The maximum duration of storage for chilled and frozen butter is stated as follows:
| Temperature | Relative humidity | Maximum duration of storage |
| -1 to +4°C | 75 - 80% | 1 - 2 months |
| -10°C | 80 - 85% | 3 months |
| -15°C | 80 - 85% | 4 - 6 months |
| -23 to -18°C | 80 - 85% | 8 - 12 months |
Note:(Source including Transport Information Service of the GDV)