Product Specification

Analytes

Total Fat, Butyric Acid (C4:0), Cholesterol

Comments

Test Description

Mixed fat spreads are consumed on a global basis and are often promoted as a healthier alternative to butter and other animal fat spreads, which are high in saturated fats and cholesterol.

The addition of plant sterols to many of these spreads further enhances the health claims, as they reduce the absorption of cholesterol and thereby reduce levels of cholesterol in serum and the risk of arterial disease. Correct measurement of fats and sterols is necessary to comply with product quality specifications and labelling requirements, and this proficiency test will help to demonstrate the accuracy of your analysis in this area. The presence of plant sterols in butter which does not declare it contains mixed fats could indicate adulteration as these are usually not detectable or present at trace levels in milk fat.

Butyric acid analysis may be used to determine the amount of milk fat in a mixed fat product, as this is only present in milk fat. It has a strong odour which gives rise to the unpleasant smell when butter goes rancid due to the release of free butyric acid from the triglyceride form as a result of hydrolysis. 

Fapas proficiency tests can challenge your testing laboratories to ensure only high-quality testing standards are achieved. This can therefore ensure your customers, and regulators, receive highly accurate test results without significant bias.

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