Butter and ghee
Practical Action
Lactic butter
Fresh whole milk is pasteurised (see Technical Brief:
Pasteurisation of milk) and cooled before adding a starter
culture and fermenting it to make yoghurt (see Technical
Brief: Soured milk and yoghurt). The yoghurt is chilled for
several hours and then churned as for fresh butter. Lactic
butter is salted and packaged in the same way as fresh
butter. Traditional lactic butters are more acidic than
products from commercial dairy plants, but may be
preferred by people in some countries because of their
pronounced flavour. They can be made more easily than
fresh butter at a micro- or small-scale because they do not
require the use of a cream separator. In some areas, the
fermentation is done in containers that are coated inside
with wood smoke to disinfect them. The wood smoke
imparts a characteristic flavour to the butter and the
buttermilk.
Figure 6: Silicone butter mould.
Photo: Courtesy of La Prima shops.
Ghee
The processing method is:
1. Pre-heat fresh, filtered cow’s or buffalo milk in a stainless steel pan (or less
desirably an aluminium pan) to 36-40 C (to optimise the efficiency of the cream
separator).
2. Separate preheated milk into cream and skim milk using a cream separator. (Traditionally
cream is not separated and whole milk is boiled and cooled several times and the fatty scum
is skimmed off).
3. Boil the cream in the pan and stir continuously until the milk proteins start to coagulate and
the cream changes from white to golden brown. The end point of the boiling stage is shown by
the correct colour of the ghee. There is no simple test for this and it is judged by experience.
4. Leave the product to cool and allow particles to settle at the bottom of the pan.
5. Filter the oil carefully using cheesecloth so that it is clear without any particles. Filter cloths
should be boiled each day and thoroughly cleaned of particles to avoid contaminating the
ghee.
6. Pack the oil. Metal (tinplated steel) cans are normally used. Iron or copper (brass) containers
should not be used because they accelerate the development of rancidity. Alternatives include
ceramic pots sealed with cork/plastic stoppers, or airtight coloured plastic or glass bottles or
jars. All containers should be thoroughly cleaned, especially if they are reused.
7. Store at room temperature away from heat and sunlight. The shelf life can exceed 12 months
with correct packaging and storage conditions
Quality assurance
The quality of milk and the processing conditions that are used to make butter or ghee should be
standardised so that consistent quality products are made each time. This involves control of
factors in the process that affect the quality or safety of the product. These are known as ‘control
points’ and are the points at which checks and measurements should be made.
HACCP1
The specific potential hazards in making butter or ghee are food poisoning bacteria from the raw
milk, poor hygiene and sanitation during processing, and incorrect processing conditions. Other
hazards that are common to all types of food processing (including contamination of foods by
insects, glass etc.) are prevented by correct quality assurance, including the design and
operation of the processing facilities, staff training in hygiene and production methods, and
correct cleaning and maintenance procedures.
1 Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
4