Physical and chemical characteristics of ghee and butter from goat's and sheep's milk

The physical and chemical characteristics of the butter and ghee of goat's and sheep's milk were studied. The saponification numbers of both butter and ghee samples prepared from goat's and sheep's milk were slightly high but showed low iodine and Reichert-Meissl values. Fatty acid composition revealed a relatively high degree of saturation (63·6–74·1%) with C_16:0 (27·6–30·5%) and C_18:1 (19·6–30·1%) being the predominant saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. The effect of heat on butter during its processing into ghee was minimal with no major differences being observed in the chemical and physical characteristics of either butter or ghee samples prepared from it.