Whatever tricks dairy producers go to attract customers! Each package of butter sparkles with “guarantees” of product quality and safety, and the advertisement promises a taste of childhood and country butter. However, preservatives and flavorings are often hidden behind “natural ingredients”. How not to let yourself be deceived?
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Instruction manual
1
The quality of natural butter is fixed according to GOST: it is of the highest or first grade. Such product qualities as taste and smell, texture, color and appearance, and packaging quality are tested. Depending on these indicators, the grade is assigned to the oil: the product with 13-20 points on a twenty-point scale is considered the highest grade. For an assessment of 6-12 points, the oil receives the marking of the first grade.
2
Unfortunately, a real examination of butter can only be done in laboratory conditions, which is used by unscrupulous manufacturers who put the markings on their own. Be careful when buying oil. Pay attention to its price. Natural butter is markedly different in price from its counterparts, which contain vegetable or milk fats. By the way, there is no fat-free or diet butter. If it is less than 60% fat, it is a fake.
3
You can verify the quality of the purchased butter only at home. There are several ways to test a dairy product. Put a pack of oil overnight in the freezer. In the morning, try cutting the frozen butter. The natural product will break off in pieces, while the cut surface will remain monophonic, without dark or light veins.
4
See how the product behaves when heated. Spoon a small piece of oil and hold it over a gas stove. Real oil will boil, oil with impurities or margarine will boil and froth.
5
Take a glass jar and fill it with boiling water. Dissolve a piece of oil in it. If milk fat dissolves and mixes evenly with water, a product containing harmful impurities or vegetable fats will leave a noticeable residue at the bottom of the can.
6
The main criterion in assessing the quality of the oil should be its taste. The natural product cannot contain taste impurities, be bitter or taste too salty. If the oil has an unpleasant color, taste or smell that resembles a fishy aftertaste, do not eat it.