Butter

Butter is obtained by churning cream, agglomerating the fat, and then separating the butter from the remaining buttermilk. Butter is not a pure fat, but an emulsion of water in fat; it also contains milk solids and lactose. (See Emulsions.) Because of the presence of protein from the milk solids and the reducing sugar lactose, butter contributes to Maillard browning when it is cooked in confectionery formulas. Butterfat may be isolated from the water and other components in butter by boiling the butter to separate the emulsion. This results in pure butter oil that contains no moisture. This anhydrous form of butter is sometimes used in manufacturing chocolate.