Compostion of Ghee and Butter Oil

Composition of Ghee: Ghee and butter oil as given in definition, are essentially the isolated fats of milk, which constitutes about 99.5%. The other constituents of varied nature are present in solution in the fat. Moisture is always present because it cannot be completely removed merely by boiling. All fats, including ghee, also dissolve gases present in the atmosphere, like nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.Some 0.5% of the material present in ghee is collectively known as unsponifiable matter, since on boiling with alkali, it is not converted into soap, and can be extracted with solvents like ether. This unsponifiable matter is a complex mixture of substances like sterols, vitamins and hydrocarbons, which though present in small amounts are of considerable significance. In addition to fat and unsponifiable matter, ghee also contain some other trace constituents. The presence and proportions of these trace compounds, like hydroperoxides, aldehydes, ketones, phospholipids, proteins, sugars and trace minerals, depend on the past history of ghee. The general composition of ghee obtained from cow and buffalo milks is given in the Table

Composition of ghee