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What is the active ingredient of butter?

What causes butter to change in phase or form? What is that ingredient or substance that butter has?

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Hello: No one has answered this when it is relatively easy to find the info on the web:

    "Butter Composition :Fat, 83% Water, 13% Ash, 3% Protein, 1% US Dept. Agriculture" (A)

    "According to USDA figures, one tablespoon of butter (14 grams/0.5 ounces) contains 420 kilojoules (100 kcal), all from fat, 11 grams (0.4 oz) of fat, of which 7 grams (0.25 oz) are saturated fat, and 30 milligrams (0.46 gr) of cholesterol." (B)

    "Butter is an emulsion which remains a solid when refrigerated, but softens to a spreadable consistency at room temperature, and melts to a thin liquid consistency at 32–35 °C (90–95 °F). The density of butter is 911 kg/m3 (1535.5 lb/yd3)." (B)

    "Most natural fats contain a complex mixture of individual triglycerides. Because of this, they melt over a broad range of temperatures." (C) Furthermore, the triglycerides can't pack regularly because of their long organic chains and so they are noncrystalline solids. I couldn't find whether it is accurate to call butter a semi-solid (gelatin is).

    Cheers, drp

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