How to choose the right butter. How to find and select quality butter on store shelves

You can learn at least something about a product from the information on the label, which sometimes cannot be seen without a magnifying glass (this is a “passport” of the product available to every buyer). First, they study the name - only the word “butter” must be present (peasant, Vologda, creamy) ... “Butters” and “oil-containing products” should alert you. There are other specific subtleties.

Dairy products are often counterfeited, especially butter. That is why regulatory authorities require passing the necessary quality studies. Consumers just need to remember the numbers - GOST 37–91. For spread – GOST R 52100–2003.
Attention - on TU. Contains only cream (no vegetable fats, flavorings, thickeners).
"Age". How to choose butter, the date will tell you - it is not stored for more than 35 days.
Appearance. An uneven surface, dents, and an untidy appearance are signs of improper storage and defrosting. It is better to give preference to packaging made from opaque materials - foil, dark paper (sunlight destroys useful substances fats).
The numbers should encourage or alarm. The “threshold” for ideal butter remains 72.5% and above.

Margarines and spreads also have a right to exist, but overpaying for their purchase, paying money like for butter, is robbery in broad daylight. By the way, the cost of a pack of natural oil cannot be called cheap. But if you consume 20 g of it per day (as nutritionists allow, if you exclude other fats from your daily diet), it will last for a longer period.

If the advice on how to choose the right butter failed you at the purchasing stage, you can watch the purchase of a home.

The ideal butter melts in your mouth (and naturally high temperatures). You can throw a piece at hot water and let it sit. Natural will not produce sediment or grains.
A high-quality product placed in the freezer for an hour will definitely freeze. It will be difficult to cut and the butter will begin to crumble.
Protruding droplets of liquid on the surface during defrosting are a signal that manufacturers did not miss their chance to add water to the product.
It is better not to choose oil that is too pale or, conversely, yellow - this indicates the absence of animal fats required by GOST or the presence of dyes.
Yellow spots and a suspicious taste (stale, mold, rancidity) will indicate improper storage of the oil.
In a frying pan, a high-quality product will form a homogeneous yellow mass with a small amount foam.

And you need to trust your taste: pleasant, creamy, sweet or sour (it all depends on the possible addition of lactic acid bacteria to the composition) butter will become your favorite product on the table. But if disappointments come one after another, the product should not be blamed. But we need to take control of the producers. No one has yet canceled consumer rights!

Not all butter producers in Russia, however, as in other countries, offer customers high-quality products made from natural ingredients and meeting quality standards. Unscrupulous companies often replace milk fat with vegetable fat and allow the presence pathogenic microorganisms and other falsifications.

How to determine safe and high-quality butter?

It is very difficult for an ordinary consumer to determine which product is best to buy. Sometimes a product that looks and tastes real, purchased at a local store, not only does not bring benefits, but also represents potential danger for the buyer. Reliable data on product quality can only be obtained through laboratory research.

Roskoshestvo tested oil with a fat content of 82.5%. It was attended by 64 samples produced by Russian and Belarusian enterprises using the latest equipment for the production of butter. Various brands of high-quality butter were tested for six dozen parameters that affect the safety and quality of the product.

What kind of butter can be called natural?

Natural butter should contain only dairy components (fats, cream, etc.). Replacing animal fats with vegetable fats allows you to reduce the cost of production. However, according to current standards, a product with the addition of palm, coconut or any other plant component must be called “spread” or “margarine” (depending on the components contained).

According to the results of laboratory studies, only six manufacturers of butter in Russia allow falsification of the composition, including LAV, Russian Milk, and Rzhevushka.

Microbial danger

Natural butter is a perishable product, so researchers paid attention to microbiological indicators special attention. Excess acceptable standards may indicate both non-compliance with sanitary requirements in production and violation of storage conditions. Therefore, Roskachestvo inspectors made purchases at trusted retail outlets where food storage conditions are strictly observed.

It is worth noting that the most significant microbiological indicators are the content of E. coli, molds, yeast, as well as the total microbial number. As the study showed, not all brands of high-quality butter carefully monitor compliance with these standards. Thus, the products of Baltkom, Iz Vologda, Prosto, and Malkom were considered potentially dangerous based on the content of E. coli. According to the total microbial number - Meadow Freshness, Oka-Reka, Danke Anke, Malkom. According to the norm of mold and yeast - Oka-Reka, Milk style, Danke Anke.

The highest quality butter

The group of products with a quality mark includes only two brands: Lattesco and Ruzskoe. This is truly high-quality butter that even meets advanced Russian standards, the fulfillment of which is optional.

Title "Product" improved quality» was received by 16 producers of natural butter. Among them:

Asenevskaya farm;
House in the village;
Farm;
Belorus export;
other.

The full rating of brands can be viewed on the official research page.

Thanks to the research, now every consumer knows how to choose high-quality butter and what brands should be given preference. This is the mission of the operator of the Russian state Quality Mark, created with the aim of creating sustainable consumer preferences in relation to manufacturers that can be trusted.

The diversity of the assortment of dairy products in stores and on the market, on the one hand, makes it possible to enrich the diet with new tastes, and on the other hand, attracts unscrupulous manufacturers seeking to sell a product under the guise of butter that is not butter. According to experts, every second stick of butter can be considered a fake, so today we’ll talk about how to choose a quality one natural oil, tasty, aromatic and healthy. Good oil, a natural source of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, is necessary for brain function, moisturizing and nourishing the skin, strengthening blood vessels, preventing arthritis and increasing immunity. Our ancestors treated butter with respect and repeated: “You can’t spoil porridge with butter” or “Eat butter for your health!” However, in order not to actually spoil the porridge with oil, you should buy only high-quality products!

How to choose the right butter in the store

Since it is not possible to taste the products in the store, we can only deal with the information on the packaging. In this case, we trust the manufacturer, and the final “testing” of the product is carried out at home.

Be sure to pay attention to GOST - however, the inscription “made according to GOST” is not enough, since spreads and margarines can also be produced according to state standards. GOST butter - R 52969-2008, but you can see other numbers, for example R 52253-2004. The last number indicates that you are holding in your hands real Vologda oil, which is produced by only three factories in the Vologda region. In addition, by order Federal agency on technical regulation and metrology dated November 22, 2013 N 2134-st, another interstate standard GOST 32261-2013 was put into effect as national standard Russian Federation from July 1, 2015 (editor's note: 02/02/2016).

Remember that GOST margarine is R 52178-2003, and even if the packaging says “butter”, don’t believe your eyes! However, some types of high-quality butter are produced not according to GOST, but according to specifications - technical specifications, so you should pay attention to the composition.

Make sure that the package contains the abbreviation CTP - “compliance with technical regulations”. Study the composition of the butter - it should contain only whole milk and cream, and sometimes salt. If the packaging indicates vegetable oils(peanut, palm, coconut) or some ingredient with the mysterious name “dairy fat substitute”, you can rest assured that it is margarine, even if the manufacturer tries to convince you otherwise.

The packaging must directly and unambiguously say: “butter,” “peasant butter,” or “amateur butter.” At the same time, keep in mind that the fat content of butter starts from 82.2%, amateur - from 78%, and peasant oil - from 72.5%. All other types of “butter” - sandwich (from 61.5%) and tea (from 50%) - are not natural, and somewhere on the packaging you can find the inscription “ sandwich mass" written in small print. Typically, a sandwich product includes all kinds of flavorings, emulsifiers, stabilizers and preservatives.

The cost of a pack of good butter is never less than 75 rubles, since preparing 1 kg of butter requires at least 20 liters of milk. If you see suspiciously inexpensive oil on the counter, most likely it contains cheap vegetable fats.

Try to choose oil not in paper, but in foil packaging, since paper does not protect such a delicate product from exposure sunlight, which destroys vitamins.

Another criterion for the naturalness of creamy products is the shelf life, which usually does not exceed a month. If preservatives or vegetable fats are used in the production of oil, the shelf life increases to a year or more. Which butter to choose: natural, perishable or unnatural, but “long-lasting”, it’s up to you!

How to choose real butter on the market

An undoubted advantage of the market is the opportunity to taste the product and evaluate its quality right on the spot, although it will not be possible to make a final verdict right away, since many of the characteristics of the oil appear only after some time. So, you've come to the market - what should you pay attention to?

Try the oil, hold it in your mouth, listen to how you feel. Natural oil has no odor, it is pleasant, tender and quickly melts in the mouth, leaving a milky and creamy aftertaste. Margarine, on the contrary, can take a long time to melt, sticking to your teeth. If you categorically do not like the taste of the oil, it means that low-quality products or vegetable oils were used in production.

The color of natural butter is light yellow, not bright yellow or white - in the first case, most likely, dyes have been added to the product, and in the second case, the composition may contain vegetable fats. When choosing butter on the market, also remember that summer butter lasts longer than winter butter.

Checking the oil at home

High-quality butter spreads well on a sandwich, and if it crumbles, it means there is too much water in it. Butter also does not leave any traces of grease on the paper, unlike vegetable oils.

Place a piece of butter in hot water - natural product will dissolve evenly, and the margarine will break up into separate pieces. If you leave a piece of butter on the table while room temperature, then drops of water appearing on its surface are considered strong evidence that this is an ordinary spread. By the way, natural oil after freezer defrosts slowly and remains solid for at least half an hour, and margarine and spread can be spread on bread in just five minutes.

Due to the high whey content in the product, the manufacturer has to subject it to intensive freezing, so ice crystals form on the cut of the butter. If you see drops of water on the cut, this indicates that the oil contains margarine impurities. Also observe how butter behaves when heated: the natural product will melt without foaming or releasing water.

Natural butter can be sweet cream (made from pasteurized cream) and sour cream (made from fermented cream). The second type of oil has a slightly piquant sourness and a longer shelf life. How to choose good butter? You need to be careful when purchasing and not skimp on your health!

The GOST inscription on the packaging of the oil is not a guarantee of its quality; it only indicates that all safety requirements were met during the production of the product. According to GOST, there are three types of butter: traditional butter 82.5% fat, amateur butter 80% fat and peasant butter fat content 72.5%. If the fat content is below 72.5%, it is not oil.

What should not be in butter?

Real high-quality butter should not contain vegetable fats. Since by law the product's ingredients must be fully disclosed on the packaging, be careful! Sometimes additives may be indicated in very small print in the folds of the wrapper: “dairy fat substitute,” palm oil, peanut oil, coconut oil. In this case, the product you are holding in your hands is not natural butter, but margarine or spread. Natural butter is made exclusively from cream and whole milk.

Real butter

Natural butter has the pure creamy taste of boiled milk, peasant And Vologda light butter, let's say nutty flavor.

The oil must be plastic, easily melt in air, break off into pieces when frozen. If you put a piece of butter in hot water, it should completely melt. High-quality butter spreads easily onto bread after leaving it at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

Real butter has virtually no flavor of its own.. If you notice a slightly sour aroma, this should alert you. By buying oil in bulk, you can buy a very good product, but you may run into a fake, check the source data and the composition of which you will not have any opportunity.

Butter color

High-quality butter has a light creamy tint; too yellow a color indicates that dye has been added to its composition. GOST allows the use of a dye, for example, B-carnitine, a natural dye for oil. If you notice on the surface of the oil dark spots(especially if the oil was purchased by weight), most likely the oil is not the freshest and you are seeing spots of mold.

Shelf life of butter up to 35 days at temperatures from 0 to +5. If the butter is frozen, it can be stored for up to 3 months.

When buying butter check the integrity of the packaging, expiration date, composition. Hold it in your hands and it should become plastic.

Spread contains more vegetable fats, vitamins, less cholesterol, the price of the spread is lower than that of butter. The word “butter” is not written on the front side of the spread packaging - this is prohibited by law. When reading the composition, pay attention to the order of the words: what comes first prevails. For example: if the word “creamy” is in 1st place, then it contains up to 50% milk fats. The spread always contains flavors and dyes. When using the spread, remember that vegetable fats release more toxins when heated; it is better to use it with sandwiches.

Butter with additives

Diversify The taste of regular butter can be caused by spices, sauces and other additives. To do this, just soften the natural butter, mix it with additives, wrap it in foil and give it any convenient shape. Check out our tips on how! Mix and place any of the suggested additives in the refrigerator to harden. Serve with slices of toasted baguette, bread or crackers.

Nowadays the opinion is spreading that animal fats are absolutely harmful, it is necessary to discard them and eat only vegetable fats. Opponents of this position argue that these assertions are untenable. Let's try to figure out what high-quality Peasant or Vologda butter should be like in order to meet the requirements of GOST.

What is butter

The product is made from the milk of large and small ruminants. In Russia, it is produced by separating or churning natural pasteurized fresh cow cream. Due to the high fat content, the product should not be consumed on its own. It is used to make sandwiches, added to cereals, in purees, in dough, it improves the taste of food. The product differs from the raw material – heavy cream – by its high fat content: from 50 to 99%.

Compound

In addition to fat, the milk product consists of milk proteins, carbohydrates, and water. Butter contains cholesterol, lecithin, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids:

oleic;
palmitic;
myristic;
linoleic;
lauric;
oil;
nylon;
capric;
caprylic.

The product contains vitamins: A (retinol), C ( ascorbic acid), E (tocopherol), PP (niacin), group B (thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid), carotene, calciferols, as well as minerals:

selenium;
magnesium;
potassium;
calcium;
iron;
sodium;
phosphorus;
manganese;
zinc;
copper.

GOST

Requirements for the manufacture of the product are contained in GOST 32261-2013. Such numbers, and not others, should be indicated in the labeling on the packaging of a quality product. The standard allows the content of preservatives, carotene food coloring, and acidity regulators. The inclusion of vegetable fats in the product: palm, coconut and others is prohibited by GOST. For production as raw materials, the manufacturer can use:

cow's milk;
cream;
buttermilk;
table salt.

Calorie content

Dairy product is high in energy due to its high fat content - from 50 to 99 percent. Due to the low melting point – 32 degrees – fat is easily absorbed by the body. Calorie content of 100 grams of product is:

552 kcal – for 60% fat content;
610 kcal – for 67%;
626 kcal – for 72.5%;
748 kcal – for 82.8%;
892 kcal – for 99%.

Species

According to the standard, the product must be made from pasteurized cream with or without the use of sourdough, therefore the types are distinguished:

sweet cream;
sour cream.

Within the listed groups, the production of cow fat can be carried out with or without the addition of salt, so there are types:

salty;
unsalted.

The product is distinguished by fat content; the consumer is offered the following fat content of butter:

Tea – 50% mass fraction;
Sandwich – 61%;
Peasant - 72.5%;
Amateur – 80%;
Vologda – 82.5%;
Traditional – 82.5%.

The best varieties

The requirements for Tea and Sandwich oils are not provided for by the standard; due to their low fat content, they are considered a product of animal origin high quality no need to. These may include harmful botanicals and hydrogenated contaminants. Rendered cow fat is obtained after evaporation of moisture by thermal processing, therefore it contains almost no useful bioactive substances and microelements, but has harmful carcinogenic free radicals.

Good qualities Peasant oil has a fat content of 72.5%. It is characterized by a special sour cream taste, because it is made using a technology different from other types - from unpasteurized cream. With a fat content of 80-82.5% (Lyubitelskoye, Traditional brands), the manufacturer does not need to use emulsifiers to achieve a uniform consistency.

It is necessary to isolate Vologda oil. Produced according to a special recipe, according to special technical conditions, by three manufacturers: the plant named after. Vereshchagin, JSC Vologda Dairy Plant, JSC Sheksninsky Dairy Plant. Made from the milk of grass-fed cows, it is characterized by a special sweet-creamy aroma with a nutty flavor. Among domestic brands, the quality rating of butter can be arranged in the following order:

Vologda fat content 82.5%;
Traditional and Amateur fat content 80-82.5%;
Peasant.

Useful properties of butter

Cow solid fat is indispensable for the human body due to chemical composition:

Selenium has anticarcinogenic properties.
Cholesterol does not contribute to the occurrence of atherosclerosis and heart disease due to the presence of oleic acid and lecithin, which regulate lipid metabolism and prevent the accumulation of plaques.
Oleic acid has anti-cancer properties.
Cholesterol promotes the production of bile acids necessary for the digestion process; dairy products are included in the diet for cholecystitis.
Vitamin A inhibits the secretion of gastric juice; this component is recommended by medicine in dietary nutrition for the healing of stomach and intestinal ulcers.
Vitamins A and E are good for vision.
Vitamin C helps improve immunity.
Lauric acid has antimicrobial and antifungal properties, so the milk product is recommended to be consumed in medicinal purposes at colds and tuberculosis.

For the female body

The benefits of butter for a woman’s body are ensured by the content of the following substances:

Cholesterol. The presence of this component helps maintain the balance of female hormones at the required level, and a deficiency leads to the disappearance of menstruation and infertility.
Folic acid, lecithin. Helps improve the condition of skin, hair, nails.
Lipids. Fats accumulated in cells help protect the skin from wind and frost and ensure skin health.
Calcium. Relevant for pregnant women and during lactation.

For men

Food product necessary for quick energy replenishment. Animal fat can be easily absorbed by the body and help restore strength after exercise. physical activity. It is a valuable source of cholesterol, which men need to produce healthy sperm. A deficiency of the substance can lead to a decrease or loss of reproductive function.

For children

Important in childhood has the body replenishes calcium. The product has a valuable property - the fat-soluble tocopherols it contains ensure complete absorption of this element from milk fat. Cholesterol plays a special role in the development of a child: it is necessary for the renewal of nerve tissue and the normal functioning of the child’s brain. Exclusion from the diet of cow fat leads to a shortage nutrients, cholesterol, which can cause:

decreased concentration;
poor assimilation of material;
decreased mental abilities.

How much butter can you eat per day?

Since the product contains a high percentage of fat and has a high calorie content, it is necessary to comply with the norms for its consumption. Children are recommended to eat no more than 7 grams daily. For adults, consumption can be increased to 30 grams. You should not give up cow fat if you have liver and pancreas diseases, but only reduce your intake to 20 grams.

Harm of butter

Currently, the benefits and harms of butter is a topic that is the subject of debate. At proper nutrition, moderate consumption of fatty varieties of the product, cow fat cannot be harmful. The following must be taken into account:

Do not use the product for frying and baking or use ghee, because heat treatment carcinogens are formed.
Cow fat contains a small amount of protein, so it is possible allergic reactions. Such cases are less common than when drinking milk.
Excessive use of cow fat can lead to overweight and obesity.

How to choose butter

Which butter is better to buy so as not to harm your health? The first information can be obtained from the packaging:

The presence of vegetable fats in animal products is harmful to the human body.
A long sales period - over 30 days - indicates the presence of a preservative.
For the consumer, the best packaging is metallized film - it prevents the destruction of vitamins.

Signs of good butter

Quality testing of butter is carried out in accordance with GOST. The standard prohibits the sale of the product:

with foreign taste and smell (rancid, greasy, musty, moldy, chemicals);
heterogeneous, crumbly, sticky, loose consistency;
heterogeneous color.

To be released to the consumer, the product must meet the requirements for organoleptic characteristics (taste, smell, consistency, color) and labeling. There is a rating scale on which each indicator is given a point. After summing them up, the type of oil is determined:

highest grade – 17-20 points;
first grade – 11-16 points.

If the score is below 11 points, the product is not allowed to be sold. When purchasing dairy products, you need to remember the following:

You need to try its consistency - if when you press the packaging the product is pressed through, you cannot buy it, because... this is the result of the addition of vegetable fats.
After refrigeration, high-quality cow fat should be solid, cut into pieces and not crumble.
It is not a piece of cow fat that has a natural creamy smell, but a product that melts in your mouth.
The color should not be bright yellow - this is a sign of the presence of dye.
A long shelf life indicates the use of preservatives by the manufacturer.
A high-quality product should melt in the mouth, not stick to the teeth, and dissolve evenly in warm water.

Poor quality oil

To produce a kilogram of product you need from 20 to 30 kilograms of milk, so low price The product indicates the presence of ingredients that are not of animal origin. Define poor quality product you can by:

the presence of a pronounced odor - counterfeit products containing flavorings have it;
bright yellow color;
soft, loose, heterogeneous consistency interspersed (indicates the presence of milk fat substitutes);
dividing into particles in warm water rather than dissolving.