Industry
How is it made?
Butter
Butter is a natural product which is made by churning cream until it becomes semi–solid. Butter is used as a spread on foods such as bread and toast, but also as an ingredient when cooking and baking.
To make butter, milk is firstly heated to 50°C and piped into a large machine called a ‘centrifuge’. This spins the milk around, separating the cream from the milk. The cream is then cooled to 5°C and stored in a tank until it is ready for heat treatment (pasteurisation).
To make butter from the cream, the cream is churned in a large vat at a high speed and buttermilk is removed. Buttermilk is the liquid which is left behind after churning cream to make butter. The butter is then forced through perforated plates in order to disperse moisture (remove the remaining buttermilk), and work the butter to the desired consistency. Salt can also be added at this stage. The butter is then shaped into blocks, cut and packaged to be sold to consumers.