Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Wikipedia
Buttermilk is a fermented dairy product produced from cow's milk with a characteristically sour taste. The product is made in one of two ways. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left over from churning butter from cream. Today, this is called traditional buttermilk. Buttermilk also refers to cultured buttermilk, a product where lactic acid bacteria have been added to milk.[1] Whether traditional or cultured, the tartness of buttermilk is due to the presence of acid in the milk. The increased acidity is primarily due to lactic acid, a by-product naturally produced by lactic acid bacteria while fermenting lactose, the primary sugar found in milk. As lactic acid is produced by the bacteria, the pH of the milk decreases and casein, the primary protein in milk, precipitates causing the curdling or clabbering of milk. This process makes buttermilk thicker than plain milk. While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk tends to be thinner whereas cultured buttermilk is much thicker.[1]
In the early 1900's, cultured buttermilk was labeled artificial buttermilk, to differentiate it from traditional buttermilk, which was also known as natural or ordinary buttermilk.[2]
Acidified buttermilk is a related product that is made by adding a food-grade acid to milk.[3]
[edit] Production process
The fermentation that takes place in traditional buttermilk is accomplished by controlled strains of lactic acid bacteria, sparking a chemical reation due to the environment. Traditionally, before cream was skimmed from whole milk, it was left to sit for a period of time to allow the cream and milk to separate. During this time, the milk would naturally be fermented by the lactic acid bacteria in the milk. One reason this was done was to facilitate the butter churning process since cream with a lower pH will congeal more readily than fresh cream.[citation needed] The acidic environment helped prevent potentially harmful microorganisms from growing, thus the soured liquid helped increase the shelf-life of the product.
Commercially available cultured buttermilk is pasteurized and homogenized milk which has been inoculated with a culture of lactic acid bacteria to simulate the naturally occurring bacteria found in the old-fashioned product. Some dairies add colored flecks of butter to cultured buttermilk to simulate the residual pieces of butter that can be left over from the churning process of traditional buttermilk.[1]
Buttermilk solids have increased in importance in the food industry.[4] Such solids are used in ice cream manufacture.[5]
Today, traditional buttermilk is rarely found. Adding specific strains of bacteria to pasteurized milk has allowed for more consistent production.
[edit] Buttermilk Benefits
Buttermilk is lower in fat than regular milk. The fat from buttermilk has already been removed to make butter. It is high in potassium, vitamin B12 and calcium. Buttermilk is more easily digestible than whole milk and it also contains more lactic acid than skim milk. There are 99 calories and 2.2 grams of fat in one cup of buttermilk (fat content may be different with some buttermilk brands), as opposed to whole milk that has 157 calories and 8.9 grams of fat.
[edit] Substitutes
For recipes, a substitute for buttermilk can be made by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar or 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar to each cup of regular milk. The soured milk should be allowed to sit for ten minutes before being used.[6]
A low-fat substitute can be made by mixing equal parts of skim milk and low-fat yogurt.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Fankhause, David B. (2007-06-14). MAKING BUTTERMILK. University of Cincinnati Clermont College. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Marshall, Charles Edward (ed.) [1911] (1912). Microbiology: A Text-book of Microörganisms, General and Applied (PDF), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: P. Blakiston's Son & Co., 371. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS: CHAPTER I, PART 131 MILK AND CREAM. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) (2007-04-01). Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ Hunziker, O F (1923). "tilization of Buttermilk in the form of Condensed and Dried Buttermilk" (PDF). Journal of Dairy Science 6 (1): 1-12. American Dairy Science Association. Retrieved on 2008-06-28.
- ^ Dry buttermilk and nonfat dry milk price relationship. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Economic Research Service (1991-08). Retrieved on 2008-06-28.
- ^ Filippone, Peggy Trowbridge. Buttermilk Substitutions, Measures, & Equivalents. About, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Heart & Soul: A Collection of Heart Healthy Southern Foods: Healthy Cookin' Tips. North Carolina State University. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
[edit] External links
| Buttermilk, low fat Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
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| Energy 40 kcal 170 kJ | ||||||||
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| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. |
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Annotations
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“Buttermilk is the liquid left over after producing butter from full-cream milk during the churning process. It has a slightly sour taste….Traditional buttermilk is quite different from cultured buttermilk [, that is, milk to which lactic acid bacteria have been added to simulate the traditional product]: it is thin and slightly acidic, while cultured buttermilk is thick and tart.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk
| Buttermilk, low fat Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
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| Energy 40 kcal 170 kJ | ||||||||
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| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. |
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References in the diary
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May: 18
| Buttermilk, low fat Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
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| Energy 40 kcal 170 kJ | ||||||||
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| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. |
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