181 



A Study of the Chemical Composition of Butter Fat, 

 and Its Relation to the Composition of Butter. 



By O. F. Hunziker akd George Spjtzer. 



summary of authentic knc^vledge of the composition 



OF butter fat. 



Milk tat or butter fat consists of triglycerides of fatty acids. The 

 fatty acids of butter fat are monobasic and have the general formula 

 C11H211 + 1 CO OH, except oleic acid, which is a non-saturated acid be- 

 longing to the acrylic series with the general formula C n H2n-l CO OH. 

 The triglycerides of butter fat do not exist as glycerides of one fatty acid, 

 but as a mixture of several acid radicals combined with glycerin. Glyc- 

 erin is a triatomic alcohol. C 5 H 5 (OH) 3 . Theoretically, therefore, the milk 

 fat could contain triglycerides of the fatty acids present, that is, there 

 could be tributyrin. triolein, tristearin, etc. In reality no such combination 

 exists. Just in what order the triglycerides are present has not been 

 definitely established. The acids present in butter fat are butyric, caproic. 

 caprylic, capric, 1 auric, myristic, palmitic, oleic and stearic. 



Bell 1 holds that butter fat consists of mixed glycerides, glycerides in 

 the molecule of which the glycerol is combined with three different acid 

 radicals forming a compound having the following composition : 



r-OCUHrO 

 C 3 hJ OCieHsiO 

 LoCisHssO 



This theory is supported by the fact that the glycerol forms triacid 

 compounds and not compounds of one acid, which theoretically could be 

 possible. If the glycerol formed monoacid compounds, butter fat would 

 contain glyceryl tributyrates. caproates, stearates. etc. 



SOLUBILITY OF BUTTER FATS IN ALCOHOL. 



If butter fat is dissolved in alcohol, from 1.1 to 3.3 per cent of the 

 fat goes iuto solution, the solubility depending on the temperature of the 

 alcohol. If tributyrin existed in butler fat, all of ilie tributyrin would 



1 The Chemistry of Foods, Vol. II. page 44. 



