“The colour of butter will vary depending on the quality of the milk, in particular what the cows have been grazing on,” she says. “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.
If you've been fortunate enough to travel overseas you may have noticed that butter in other countries often has a lighter, white colour compared to here in New Zealand. The reason for this is what the cows are fed; grass fed cows produce a yellow butter.
As it turns out, the yellow color of butter is directly linked to its fat content. Sophie Egan explains that cows eat grass and flowers, and yellow beta-carotene from those plants is stored in the cows' fat. The pigment is carried with the fat into the milk.
Essentially, a natural grass-fed diet will result in a yellow coloured butter while cows that are fed mostly grains will produce a lighter coloured butter. This is similar to free range hens producing eggs with brighter almost orange coloured yolks.
The yellow-orange colour of New Zealand butter is perfectly natural. A natural pigment, beta-carotene, provides this yellow colour.
The colour of butter is dependent on what the cow's are fed. In Australia the butter is yellow as the cows have been fed out in pasture.
Q: When I cut through some blocks of butter there is a darker yellow layer around the outside. Is the butter still OK to use in my baking? A: If you also take a whiff you may also notice it has a slightly sour smell. Both this and the darker yellow layer are both signs that the butter has started to go rancid.
CopperTree Farms naturally cultured butter is known for it's almost white colour and creamy taste. Perfect for achieving a crisp white buttercream without the need for a whitening agent.
“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.”
Why Is Irish Butter Yellow? The moist climate in Ireland creates fertile soil and extra-green grass, which results in higher levels of beta-carotene. In turn, this adds an even brighter yellow hue to the Irish cow's milk. Grass-fed cows absorb beta-carotene through their diet and store it in their fat.
If cows are raised on pasture, their butter is more yellow when the milk is collected in late spring or summer, when the cows have more beta carotene-rich forage to chew on. In wintertime, even cows raised on pasture are usually brought inside and fed grain, which doesn't have much beta carotene.
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.
The quality of butter is determined by the quality of the milk used to make it. With New Zealand's temperate climate, cows are outdoors grazing on pasture all year round, thus producing superior milk and consequently a butter with a fuller, creamier flavor.
Using time-honoured processes, based on traditional batch churning, Westgold's butter-makers use only fresh cream (and a little salt for the salted product) to create butters that have now twice been recognised as New Zealand's best.
The level of the natural pigment carotene in milk, derived from the diet of cows, is the strongest determinant in whether butter appears yellow. For areas preferring butter that is more on the yellow side, coloring can be used. At Idaho Milk Products, IdaPro Cream is pasteurized and shipped on the very day of milking.
Organic Times - Aus dairy farmed butter. This is the only butter brand that actually says 'from grass-fed cows' on the packaging. Paris Creek - Aus butter from Fleurieu Peninsula near Adelaide. It has a rich yellow colour which is indicative of high levels of beta-carotene.
New Zealand is globally famous for producing the best quality Nutritious grass-fed milk for making 1500 dairy products. Grass fed butter NZ is one of these dairy products recognized for its unmatched quality.
Butter That's Both Versatile and Economical
Real butter can get expensive, and its prices are enough to make you wince. If you're craving real butter without the added burden, Queensland is a solid option both for taste and price point.
Bottom Line. If you want butter to melt in your mouth, opt for a salted kind to leave on your counter for no more than one to two days. However, if you're ever in doubt – never leave it out. You're always safe keeping any butter refrigerated.
Yellow Butter, also known as Salted Butter is known for its combination with toast. The colour of the butter has a yellow tint because of the high-fat content in it.
NZ butter is usually around 82.9% butter fat, lightly cultured, yellow and lovely. It is indeed grass fed with the least amounts of human intrusion and cows wander around freely grazing on huge pastures.
That is, in part, due to Australia's dwindling milk supply, as well as continued inflation. Rabobank senior analyst Michael Harvey said the expected price rises would come as consumers already felt squeezed by the highest food inflation in two decades.
Western Star is an Australian butter and spreads brand founded in 1926 in the Western Districts of Victoria. Products are widely distributed across Australia and available in most supermarkets. The brand is owned by Fonterra.