Thermal behavior of butterfat fractions and mixtures of tripalmitin and butterfat

The melting and crystallization behavior of blends of tripalmitin and butterfat were compared with that of butterfat fractions, which were prepared by dry fractionation and by solvent extraction. There were marked similarities in the behavior of the blends, the dry fractions and some solvent fractions. This similarity was not shared with the behavior of the hardest solvent fractions. The functionality or hard butterfat fractions seemed to derive from an enrichment in long-chain saturated triglycerides. Improved functionality could therefore be achieved equally well by blending or by fractionation. Blends of tripalmitin and butterfat could be used as model butterfat fractions, or as an alternative to butterfat fractions in some applications.