Sensory Evaluation of Table Butter

i. Desirable Attributes of Table Butter

Butter package should be neat, clean and tidy in appearance and showing good finish. Salt must be uniformly distributed and properly dissolved. A uniform light straw colour throughout is most attractive and liked by the consumers. The body of good quality butter should be firm and showing a waxy, close knit texture. It should have smooth spreadability. A desirable flavour of butter is mild, sweet, clean and pleasant. It is so delicate that consumers always like to eat more.

ii Score Card of Butter

100 points score cards recommended by ADSA and BIS are given in table.

Table  Score card for table butter

 iii. Scoring Technique for Butter

i) Tempering of butter: Butter should be tempered at 10oC for proper evaluation of its flavour and body and texture.

ii) Sampling: The sample of butter should be drawn with the help of a butter trier from a larger block/lot. The trier should not be washed in warm water but should be wiped with a soft tissue or absorbent paper. Washing the trier in warm water results in a melted, greasy surface on the plug of butter taken.This obscures the true condition of the body and texture of butter and makes observation of the colour difficult.

While taking the sample from a large lot, stand squarely in front of the sample and observe the cleanliness and neatness of the package. Notice if this appearance is carried throughout. Remove the wrapper and observe the surface of butter. Get a mental picture of your observations. Then hold the butter trier firmly in the hand, insert it diagonally near the centre of the butter turn it at 180o and withdraw the plug. In case of retail pack (100 g or less), a spatula may be used in place of a trier.

iii) Immediately after withdrawing the plug and before making any colour observations, pass the butter plug slowly under the nose, inhale through the nose very slowly and notice the aroma present. Make a mental record of this aroma.

iv) After observing the aroma, examine the colour for uniformity throughout.

v) Then examine the body and texture by pressing the ball of the thumb against the sides of the plug until it shows a break. Notice the presence or absence of free moisture or beads of water and their clearness and also the nature of  break, that is, whether it is smooth or judged.

vi Break a piece, about three cms, from the plug of butter and put it into the mouth. Chew it until it melts. Then roll the melted butter in the mouth until it comes to body temperature. Meanwhile, feel the presence of “grit” which is un-dissolved salt between the teeth. Also critically feel the manner in which the butter melts. Notice the various sensations of taste and smell. Just before expectorating the melted butter, roll it to the back roof of the mouth to detect the palate flavours.

vii) Expectorate the sample, observe the aftertaste and notice whether or not the flavour persists. All the observations should be recorded in the score card.

iv. Undesirable Attributes

Colour: The main defects of table butter are: lack of uniformity, mottled, streaks,mold discolouration and bleached. Colour problem with butter are not very common and serious.

Body and Texture: This attribute is of paramount importance from consumers’ point of view particularly when butter is applied to bread, hence discussed in more details here.

i) Crumbly or brittle: Such butter lacks cohesiveness and do not stick together but falls apart when broken or some pressure is applied. Crumbly butter has poor spreadability.

ii) Gummy: Such butter sticks to the roof of the mouth and gives a gum like impression.

iii) Leaky: Butter that shows beads or droplets of moisture on the plug and on the back of trier is termed as leaky.

iv) Mealy or grainy: This defect can be detected by pressing the partly melted butter between the tongue and palate. Mealy butter lacks smoothness, hence it is a serious defect.

v) Sticky: Butter sticks on the trier or spoon.

vi) Weak: Melt quickly when exposed to room temperature.

vii) Greasy: Extremely smooth and quick melting when butter is taken into mouth are indication of greasy butter.

viii) Gritty: This defect is related to un-dissolved salt content in butter.

Flavour: The common flavour defect defects of table butter are: high acid,neutralizer, rancid, oxidized, fishy, yeasty, flat, fruity, briny and aged. The methods of simulating these defects have been discussed earlier in Unit 2.