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Abstract
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Abstract
In our country, the standard for butter is
officially regulated according to Turkish
Standard (TS) 1331. Butter is an animal fat
dairy product with high nutritional value and
a distinctive smell and taste. According to the
Standard, there are 3 types of butter:
breakfast, culinary and plain. Its high price
compared to other oils is related to the cost
of butter production. This situation causes
the use of various imitation-adulteration
methods in order to make the product
cheaper. Therefore, the aim of the study was
to evaluate the physico-chemical properties
of butter offered for sale in the Istanbul
market according to TS 1331. ReichertMeissl Index (R.M.I.) value, peroxide
number, ratios of milk fat, salt, moisture and
acidity were determined in 26 different butter
samples. The refractive index was also
determined. The most common adulteration
in products sold as butter is the addition of
margarine to the product which occurs with
the determination of the R.M.I. value in
samples. The R.M.I. values in 21 samples
(81%) and the milk fat ration in 20 samples
(77%) were found in accordance with TS
1331. While the acidity in 25 samples (96%) was found to be suitable for TS 1331, it was
found to be abnormal in 1 (4%) sample.
While the moisture ratio exceeded the
maximum value in 2 of the samples (8%), it
was found to be among the expected values
in 24 (92%) samples. The refractive index,
salt and peroxide values are within normal
ranges in all of the samples. Considering all
the results, 16 butter samples (61.5%) are
suitable for TS 1331, while 10 (38.5%) are
not. All these results show that there are still
imitation-adulteration in the butter offered
for sale. It is necessary to increase the
inspections on the fact that products that
deceive the consumer, put human health at
risk and have low nutritional value on the
market, and provide education to consumers
explaining food safety and the negative
effects of these fraudulent foods on health. In
addition, it is necessary to carry out food
control studies periodically and with a larger
sample.