BUTTER LEGISLATIVE DEFINITION
"Butter" shall be understood to mean the food product usually known as butter,
and which is made exclusively from milk or cream, or both, with or without
common salt, and with or without additional coloring matter, and containing not
less than 80 percent by weight of milkfat, all tolerances having been allowed
for.
Act of Congress, March 4, 1923, 42 Stat. 1500.
USDA GRADING SPECIFICATIONS
USDA graded butter complies with stringent flavor, texture and visual
standards. Grading of butter is first determined on the basis of classifying
the flavor characteristics and then rating body, color and salt
characteristics. Each parameter is scored accordingly.
Flavor Intensity
Flavor is the basic quality factor in grading butter and is determined
organoleptically by taste and smell.
Body Characteristics
Body refers to the textural characteristics of butter as related to its
spreadability and mouthfeel. Butter, with a firm, waxy body, has an attractive
appearance, shows no free moisture droplets, cuts clean when sliced and has
good spreadability.
Color
Color refers to the evenness of color and shades of yellow of the butter. The
natural color varies according to seasonal and regional conditions and color is
considered defective when it is uneven (mottled or streaked) or lacks
uniformity within the same churning or package.
Salt
Salt is discerned from the degree of salt taste and whether it is completely
dissolved. A range in the salt content or salty taste is permitted without
considering this to be a defect.
Once these parameters are evaluated, the scores for each sample are added and
butter is graded as USDA grade AA, A or B. Grade AA butter is the "very best,"
with a total score of 93 points. Grade A butter is classified as "very good"
with a total score of 92. Grade B butter is "standard" with a total score of 90
points. Any defects are disrated in accordance with the established butter
classification. The final grade is established in accordance with the flavor
classification, subject to disratings for color, body and salt.
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RELATION OF GRADES TO QUALITY CRITERIA
|
|
Flavor Classif.
|
 Disratings
|
Disratings
|
|
Disratings in excess of permitted
|
U.S. Grade
|
|
|
Body
|
Color
|
Salt
|
Total
|
Permitted
|
|
|
|
|
AA
|
1/2
|
0
|
0
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
0
|
AA
|
|
AA
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
0
|
1
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
A
|
|
AA
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
A
|
|
AA
|
1/2
|
1
|
0
|
1 1/2
|
1/2
|
1
|
B
|
|
A
|
1/2
|
0
|
0
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
0
|
A
|
|
A
|
0
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
1
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
B
|
|
A
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
B
|
|
B
|
1/2
|
0
|
0
|
1/2
|
1/2
|
0
|
B
|
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MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARDS
|
|
|
| Proteolytic |
<100 CFU/g |
| Yeast and Mold |
<20 CFU/g |
| Coliform |
<10 CFU/g |
Source: 7CFR 58.345
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Madison, WI 53717