When you make clarified butter, you skim milk solids off the top of melted butter and leave released water in the bottom of the pan. The stuff in the middle, the liquid gold, is 100% pure butterfat.
The reason for this is what the cows are fed; grass fed cows produce a yellow butter. The science behind this is the beta-carotene (yellow pigment) found in the grass eaten by cows; which is stored in the cows' fat and carried into the milk.
Both this and the darker yellow layer are both signs that the butter has started to go rancid. It is often because the butter hasn't been stored correctly – warm temperatures, light and moisture can all cause butter to deteriorate quickly and become rancid.
“In Australia and New Zealand, the cows are fed on pasture, so their milk contains a yellow-orange pigment called beta-carotene, which makes the butter yellow. In many other countries, especially Europe, the cows are fed on grain, so the colour of the butter is a pale, cream colour.”
Butter can range from vibrant yellow to pale white depending on the feed and breed of the cow that the milk originated from. The intensity of yellow depends on a special vitamin called Beta-carotene (β-Carotene). β-Carotene is a natural vitamin found in cows milk.
Any sour or off-putting smell means it's a goner. Same goes for taste: If it tastes sour or off, toss it out. 5 And don't worry, a small taste of rancid butter won't hurt you. Of course any visible mold, discoloration, and changes in texture are visible cues that it's time to throw the butter in the trash.
It should be pointed out that rancid butter can't make you sick, but it won't taste or smell very good. Rancidity is caused by exposure to oxygen, light and heat. So, to prevent rancidity, keep your butter in an opaque butter dish with a lid.
While it is safe to consume both white and yellow butter in moderation, if you are a regular consumer of butter, it is best to switch to White Butter. The best thing about White Butter is that it can be made at home and is free of any kind of processing, chemicals, colour and salt.
In Australia butter has a requirement to have a minimum of 80% butterfat. In France the minimum is 82% and some European butters have as much as 84% butterfat. Although this seems like a small variation it makes for a significant difference in taste and performance in various baking and cooking recipes.
The yellow-orange colour of New Zealand butter is perfectly natural. A natural pigment, beta-carotene, provides this yellow colour. The presence of this carotene is also why butter is a source of Vitamin A.
"This is mitigated by refrigerating butter and making sure it is well wrapped." In general, butter kept in the fridge will last one to three months, while butter stored in the freezer will last up to a year.
Discoloration is a sign of rancid butter. Good butter has an even yellow color from inside out. Slice a small portion of your butter, if the inside looks brighter or lighter, then it has gone bad. Black spots on butter are signs of mold formation.
Shudh Garhwal's Unsalted Yellow Butter can be used in cooking and baking. It is traditionally manufactured, from carefully selected and churned creams. The Butter has Natural texture and intense & aromatic flavor. It is ideal for sweet and savory shortcrust pastry, buttercream, mouselines etc.
Bordier. France's Bordier is often considered by many in the culinary world to be among the best butter brands on the market. This is because of Bordier's determination to return to traditional methods, where the butter is kneaded by hand on a wooden table instead of being processed with factory equipment.
Grass-fed cows absorb beta-carotene through their diet and store it in their fat. While all butter is naturally yellow, Irish butter is noticeably more yellow, thanks to those rolling green hills.
Why is lurpak white? Lurpak uses a Lactic culture as opposed to sweet cream. Lactic culture is very pale, giving Lurpak it's creamy white colour.
As Australia's favourite butter, Western Star is Australia's number one selling butter and has won multiple industry awards over the years.
Western Star has been Crafting Butter in Victoria since 1926 when the leading butter makers in the Western District came together. Over 95 years later and trusted for generations, Western Star truly is Australia's Favourite.
Pepe Saya Buttery was started in 2010, with the dream of making a beautiful tasting Australian cultured butter and creating a shift towards using local butter. Made in a unique round pat with the iconic Pepe Saya head, the first rounds were sold at Carriageworks Farmers Markets in November 2010.
Bottom Line: If You Have to Eat Butter, Choose Grass-Fed
“Grass-fed butter has the nutritional edge in that it offers more heart-healthy nutrients than regular butter in a less-processed product than margarine,” Malkani says. You can typically find grass-fed butter at the grocery store or natural foods market.
Hence, organic butter is often yellow, while the butter produced by cows raised on dairy farms and fed on dried hay and grain is white because their milk lacks beta-carotene.
Butter is perfectly safe to eat even after the expiration date has passed, so long as it still looks and tastes normal. Butter can last a longer period of time than, say, yogurt, milk, or sour cream because butter is made up mostly of fat, which makes it hard for harmful bacteria to form on the surface.
Lactose intolerance is a common digestive problem where the body is unable to digest lactose, a type of sugar mainly found in milk and dairy products. Symptoms of lactose intolerance usually develop within a few hours of consuming food or drink that contains lactose. They may include: flatulence (wind)