Butter Powder

Butter Powder is made from real butter that has been carefully dehydrated into a convenient powdered form. With its rich, creamy flavor, it’s an easy ingredient to add to baked goods, sauces, snacks, and confectionery creations.

Lightweight and shelf-stable, butter powder blends smoothly into recipes and can even be used as a topping for popcorn, cereals, or savory snacks. It’s a versatile pantry staple that delivers buttery taste without the need for refrigeration.

Rich Salted Butter Powder

Z Natural Foods takes pride in bringing our customers a wide range of foods from around the globe in their most versatile forms, and our rich salted butter powder is no exception. While butter powder has a rich and creamy texture with a sweet flavor profile, its versatility is unmatched. 

The rich flavor of our butter powder enhances the taste of your dishes, making them more delicious. Creating a salty, rich butter powder produces a shelf-stable end product with the potential for limitless possibilities. Indeed, a powdered version of butter represents a modern version of how we can consume this food.

However, it also represents how the advancement of technology can create shelf-stable products with incredible potential for limitless product development applications and more convenient ways to use them that were never possible before.

Our mission is to provide customers with great-tasting, highly functional foods with limitless application in their most versatile form to support a variety of lifestyles. So, we proudly introduce one of the newest members of our diverse functional food line, Z Natural Foods Rich Salted Butter Powder.

What is butter, and how is it made?

In simple terms, butter is a high-fat, solidified food made from milk, cream, or both, containing around 80% milk fat. Butter is a high-energy food containing around 700 calories per 100 grams and one of the most abundant sources of the fat-soluble vitamin A.

It is one of the most highly concentrated forms of milk, as:

• 20 liters of whole milk are needed to produce around 2.2 pounds of butter, which creates 18 liters of skim milk and buttermilk.
• Around one-third of the world’s milk production is used to make butter.
• The average composition of butter is around 80% fat, 17% water, 2% salt, and 1% milk solids (vitamins, minerals, lactose).

The process of making butter is quite simple. Butter is essentially an end product of the emulsion process resulting from the reverse reaction of cream, where the milk proteins act as emulsifiers. Milk and cream contain tiny globules of butterfat that are surrounded by membranes made of protein and fatty acid emulsifiers.

The membranes prevent the fat in milk from clumping together. So, in simple terms, butter is created by agitating the cream, damaging the membranes, and allowing the milk fats to conjoin, which enables it to separate from the other parts of the cream. It is generally accepted that butter contains fats in three forms (butterfat, butterfat crystals, and undamaged fat globules).

Different variations in the productions can produce different consistencies. Ultimately, the determining factor is the butterfat composition in the end product. For example, butter with a higher crystal content has a harder consistency than those with a higher free crystal content.

Is Butter Powder as good as fresh butter?

While consuming dairy products in their wholesome, fresh form is always better, the idea that we can’t replace fresh food with a powder to nourish our bodies is untrue.

However, fresh foods (especially dairy) have a short shelf life, and their need to be refrigerated creates barriers for unlimited versatility. As we have mentioned in many of our previous articles and product descriptions, powdered functional superfoods are tremendously versatile, unlimitedly able to create new and exciting products, and have unique advantages over the fresh versions of those foods. 

There are many significant advantages to using powders, especially butter powder.

It is vital to understand one of the most important processes that ultimately determines the quality of powdered food: the drying process. It is no secret that air and moisture are powdered food’s greatest enemies. Thanks to our meticulous food preservation techniques, we can create a powdered food product without adding preservatives and chemicals, creating a more versatile end product that is as highly nutrient-dense as the fresh version.

You can trust that our butter powder is of the highest quality, preserving the natural richness of fresh butter.

However, it is essential to note two critical points:

• The quality of the raw materials used to produce butter powder is of utmost importance. It predominantly determines the final product, ensuring the powder retains the fresh heavy cream’s natural richness and flavor profile. This emphasis on quality should reassure our customers of the high standards we maintain in our production process.
• Not every food responds the same to these different methods. Therefore, using the correct method for each food is vital to get the best result. For example, berries respond very well to freeze-drying. In contrast, carrots and apples do best when air-dried, and cheese and butter powders respond well to spray-drying.

While there are many natural ways to dry foods and preserve their nutritional qualities, including low temperature, shade, air, sun, and freeze-drying, the quality of the raw materials predominantly determines the final product.

Ultimately, creating the creamiest, richest, and most versatile butter powder is best achieved through spray-drying. This method is a testament to efficiency and practicality. Our spray-dried butter powder averages less than 4% moisture and 73% fat content; therefore, it allows for more accessible storage options and blending capability and supports fresh cream’s natural flavor profile.

The limitless application and versatility of butter powder

As the expression goes, butter makes everything better. However, fresh butter has one major limitation: it must be kept refrigerated.

From camping to emergency food storage, creating convenient versions of comfort food favorites, and recreating palate-pleasing textures and flavor profiles, the limits of butter powder are only based on your lack of creativity. Whether adding to soups, stews, a fresh hot bowl of popcorn, or your morning cup of coffee to make it buttle proof, butter powder really is the perfect all-in-one solution for those who love the benefits without the limitations.

What are the benefits of Butter?

As more food science emerges, we understand the wide range of components contained in butter, like fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids; therefore, how these fats in butter function in the body takes on a new meaning. According to a review titled Composition, structure, and absorption of milk lipids: a source of energy, fat-soluble nutrients, and bioactive molecules, “Milkfat is not only a source of bioactive lipid components, it also serves as an important delivery medium for nutrients, including the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Bioactive lipids in milk include triacylglycerides, diacylglycerides, saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and phospholipids.”

“Among the 12 major milk fatty acids, only three (lauric, myristic, and palmitic) have been associated with raising total cholesterol levels in plasma, but their individual effects are variable-both towards raising low-density lipoproteins and raising the level of beneficial high-density lipoproteins. The cholesterol-modifying response of individuals to consuming saturated fats is also variable.” Therefore, milkfat’s composition, functions, and biological properties will need to be re-evaluated as the food marketplace moves increasingly towards more personalized diets.”

The breakdown of fatty acids in whole milk

• 62% Saturated
• 30% Monounsaturated
• 4% Polyunsaturated
• 4% Transfats

Butter was determined to contain, per tablespoon (14 grams)

• 70% saturated fatty acids 
• 25% monounsaturated fatty acids
• 2.5% polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Around 11% of saturated fatty acids are short-chain fatty acids, specifically butyric acid (C4).  

The following was stated in a study discussing the effects of oral butyrate on mildly to moderately active Crohn’s disease.

• Among the nine patients (69%) who responded to treatment (4 grams daily for 8 weeks), seven (53%) achieved remission, and two had a partial response.
• Endoscopic and histological scores significantly improved after treatment at the ileocaecal level (P < 0.05).
• Leucocyte blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and mucosal levels of NF-kappaB and IL-1beta significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05).

Therefore, the following was concluded. “Oral butyrate is safe and well tolerated and may be effective in inducing clinical improvement/remission in Crohn’s disease. These data indicate the need for a large investigation to extend the present findings and suggest that butyrate may exert its action through downregulating NF-kappaB and IL-1beta.”

Did you know that not all Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) are created equal?

There are two major types of trans fats in the food supply:

1. Industrial: Formed by partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils
2. Natural occurring: Trans fatty acids in milk and meat that biohydrogenation ruminant animals create (R-TFA).

Here is an interesting evaluation of the impact that ruminant Trans Fatty Acids may have on human health.

Naturally occurring trans fatty acids include vaccenic acid, the main TFA in dairy, and rumenic acid, the biologically active form of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). In a review titled Evaluation of the Impact of Ruminant Trans Fatty Acids on Human Health: Important Aspects to Consider,

“The definition and evaluation of trans fatty acids (TFA) about foodstuffs and health hazards are inconsistent. The term should be restricted only to TFA with isolated double bonds in trans-configuration based on the current situation. Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) should be separately assessed. Ideally, the origin of the consumed fat should be declared, i.e., ruminant TFA (R-TFA) and industrial TFA (non-ruminant; I-TFA). In ruminant fat, more than 50% of R-TFA comprises vaccenic acid (C18:1 t11). In addition, natural CLA, i.e., c9,t11 CLA, is also present. Both are elevated in products from organic farming. In contrast to elaidic acid (t9) and t10, which occur mainly in partially hydrogenated industrial fat, t11 is partially metabolized into c9,t11 CLA via Δ9-desaturation. This is the primary metabolic criterion used to differentiate between t11 and other trans-C18:1. t11 indicates health-beneficial effects in several studies.

Moreover, CLA in milk fat is associated with preventing allergies and asthma. An analysis of the few studies relating to R-TFA alone shows that no convincing adverse physiological effect can be attributed to R-TFA—only extremely high R-TFA intakes cause negative changes in blood lipids. In conclusion, in most European countries, the intake of R-TFA is assessed as being low to moderate. Restricting R-TFA would unjustifiably represent a disadvantage for organic milk farming.”

In simple terms, ruminant trans fatty acids (R-TFA) from whole milk offer natural qualities that dangerous and unnourishing partially hydrogenated industrial fats don’t come close to competing with. One of the natural components of R-TFAs is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is associated with preventing allergies and asthma.

Grassfed butter has around 250mg of CLA per tbsp, and regular butter has around 50mg.

Because there is still much to be learned about R-TFAs, we are not explicitly encouraging you to consume an isolated and concentrated form of them. Please note the potential nourishing qualities of R-TFA’s are not acquired as isolated substances but as a part of the whole food complex where all other natural compounds and constituents are present. For example, if CLA were not present, it would potentially change the quality benefits of these nourishing fatty acids. This is why at Z Natural Foods, we encourage the consumption of products (whether concentrated or not) that present the whole food complex.

Different seasons affect the fatty acid content of butter.  

The following was stated in the Polish Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences regarding the fatty acid contents in butter at different times of the year.

• A higher content of short and medium-chain saturated FA (SCFA) was determined in the
• samples from the winter season (12.6-13.4%) and lower ones in the summer samples (11.2-12.1%).
• The major FA of the saturated long chain acids (LCFA) of butter were: palmitic C16:0: (25.7-34.6%) and myristic C14:0: (9.7-11.9%), their higher contents were found in the samples from the winter and early-spring production.
• Butters produced in the summer period were characterised by a higher content of oleic acid C18:1 9c (20.6-23.1%) belonging to monounsaturated FA (MUFA) as compared to the samples produced in the winter and spring (18.3-21.4%).
• Contents of FA belonging to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were: 1.0-1.5% for linoleic C18:2 9c 12c (LA) and linolenic acids C18:3 9c 12c 15c (ALA), which were subjected to seasonal variation in the range of 0.1-1.0%.
• The content of predominant trans isomer in ruminant fats, i.e. vaccenic acid C18: 1 11t (VA), resulting from “biohydrogentaion” of the PUFA (LA and ALA) in the rumen, has been strictly connected with the season of production: a higher content of VA was determined in butter samples from the summer and autumn (1.9-3.8%) and lower one in the samples produced in the winter and spring (0.8-1.3%).
• Similarly, seasonal variation was also observed in the content of conjugated linoleic acid C18: 2 9c11t (CLA). Its significant content – 580 mg CLA /100 g of product on average – was determined in butter samples produced in the summer and autumn seasons in the north-eastern region of Poland.

Summary of Important Information

Z Natural Foods hand-picks specific ingredients for our customers based on three concepts to provide the best quality product possible to support optimal well-being.

• Versatility
• History of safe and effective usage
• Strong evidence of positive research outcomes in human

Important summary points

• Butter is a high-fat, solidified food made from milk, cream, or both, containing around 80% milk fat.
• Butter is a high-energy food containing around 700 calories per 100 grams and one of the most abundant sources of the fat-soluble vitamin A.
• It is one of the most highly concentrated forms of milk, as 20 liters of whole milk are needed to produce around 2.2 pounds of butter, which creates 18 liters of skim milk and buttermilk.
• Around one-third of the world’s milk production is used to make butter.
• The average composition of butter is around 80% fat, 17% water, 2% salt, and 1% milk solids (vitamins, minerals, lactose).
• Butter is essentially an end product of the emulsion process resulting from the reverse reaction of cream, where the milk proteins act as emulsifiers.
• Milk and cream contain tiny globules of butterfat that are surrounded by membranes made of protein and fatty acid emulsifiers. The membranes prevent the fat in milk from clumping together.
• Butter is created by agitating the cream, damaging the membranes, and allowing the milk fats to conjoin, which enables it to separate from the other parts of the cream. It is generally accepted that butter contains fats in three forms (butterfat, butterfat crystals, and undamaged fat globules).
• For example, butter with a higher crystal content has a harder consistency than those with a higher free crystal content.
• Butter was determined to contain, per tablespoon (14 grams):70% saturated fatty acids, 25% monounsaturated fatty acids, 2.5% polyunsaturated fatty acids, and around 11% saturated fatty acids are short-chain fatty acids, specifically butyric acid (C4).
• Grassfed butter has around 250mg of CLA per tbsp, and regular butter has around 50mg.

Some research suggests that Butter may contain the following constituents:

• Vitamins: Vitamin A, Folate, Choline, Retinol, Beta carotene, Vitamin E, Vitamin K
• Minerals: Magnesium, Phosphorus, Selenium
• Amino Acids: tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, histidine, arginine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine
• Fatty acids: monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, omega 3, omega 6s.

Our Butter Powder comes in 1 lb, 5 lb, and 50 lb quantities.  

Suggested Use: Sprinkle Butter Powder over popcorn or your favorite snacks, or add to soups, sauces, and more.

To prepare homemade butter, mix 1/2 cup of butter powder with 1 tbsp of water, whisk and refrigerate.

Other Names: butter, oil, ghee, spread, butterfat, churned cream.

Ingredients: Butter (Sweet Cream and Salt), Nonfat Milk Solids.

Origin: Product of USA. Packaged with care in Florida, USA.

Certifications: Certified Kosher.