The Effect of Using Butter Buds as a Replacement for ...

Rachel Wicker
FN 453
November 21, 2005
The Effect of Using Butter Buds as a Replacement for Butter in
Buttercream Frosting

Abstract:
More health problems are being linked to an intake of too much fat. One of the

main sources of fat in the typical American diet is butter. Using a low-fat or non-fat
butter replacement could be a way to lower fat in the diet. Butter Buds is a butter
replacement developed with the purpose of creating a non-fat, easy to use option. In this
experiment Butter Buds is going to be used as a main ingredient as a replacement to
butter. It is already an accepted ingredient in many items but none of them use the
product as a main ingredient. Buttercream frosting is a product that needs the flavor as
well as the texture the butter brings. Texture analysis, water activity, and sensory panels
will work together to judge whether Butter Buds will work. As a 100% replacement the
findings were not favorable for Butter Buds. Findings show that it may work well as a
partial replacement for butter.

Introduction:
Butter Buds is a butter substitute discovered in the late 1970’s. It is a

combination of enzymes, with fat to concentrate the dairy flavors. (www.bbuds.com) As
a commercial product it is sold as a powder, natural butter substitute, that when added
with water makes a liquid butter sauce. It can lower the fat grams to less than .1% in
foods that they are used in. This product has many benefits other than decrease fat
grams. It is cheaper, more price stable, has a rich mouthfeel, and can mask off-flavors in
things like soy based products. (www.bbuds.com) Butter Buds is used for a variety of
applications including baking and mixing. This is also an ideal product for sauces in
kitchens where there is not a saucier in house. (Minasian, 2002) All of the applications
for Butter Buds were not using the product as a main ingredient. The only time that it
may be the main component is as a topper, for example on a baked potato.
(www.preparedfoods.com) This is the basis behind testing the quality of a product made
with Butter Buds.

The idea of this experiment was to find out how Butter Buds behaved when used
as a butter replacement when butter was truly a main ingredient in a product. With this
knowledge the problem to examine is the ability to use Butter Buds butter replacement as
a main ingredient in buttercream frosting. Butter in the traditional buttercream is the
main ingredient, and gives this particular frosting its texture and flavor.

The major components being evaluated in the final product will be texture, water
content, and sensory. The texture will be analyzed to see if the product is too thick or
thin. The water activity will also tell whether or not there is a proper consistency. And if
the consistency is off, how much is due to water content. The last evaluation of the
variables will be a sensory evaluation to examine texture, flavor, and color from a
consumer standpoint.

There are a variety of ways to test a final product to determine the quality. There
are a few dependent variables that were tested in this project. Although there are others

that could have been examined, this project focuses on the final texture, water activity,
color, and flavor of the frosting.

For the texture some of the options could be the viscosity which could be tested
with a Brookfield viscometer, linespread, consistometer, or texture analyzer. The texture
analyzer was chosen because the frosting should not be very viscous. There was a chance
that it could be but not enough for the other three to be good tests.

The second machine used was for analyzing the water activity in the three
different frostings. The machine is called a water activity system. It works by detecting
the condensation on a cooled mirror, which is related to moisture.

The last two variables chosen to test are color and flavor. The color of the
products could be tested in a colorimeter. For this particular project it was tested based
on preference along with flavor in a sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation also
asked for a response based on texture. Machine based texture results may not always be
what is preferred by a consumer. Studies have often attempted to correlate sensory and
instrumental measurements of products. Most are unsuccessful. (Lee, 2001) Also a
consumer can detect subtle changes in things such as mouthfeel that cannot be analyzed
by a machine or a computer. All of these methods were chosen to give a variety of
reasons why one product would be superior to another. They give scientific results and
consumer based preferences.

The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether or not Butter Buds can be
used as a main ingredient when texture and flavor are crucial to the quality of a product
and need to work together. There are to be three independent variables. The first
containing all butter, the second containing a mixture of half butter, half Butter Buds, and
third, a product containing all Butter Buds. From these three variables there should be
enough difference to determine whether one product is better than another. Or possibly
allow for a reasonable result leading to an indistinguishable difference.

The Methods:
The design for this experiment is relatively simple. The ingredients need to be

gathered and measured. The mixing is not specific granted that each one will not take a
designated amount of time and over mixing is almost impossible. After the buttercream
has been mixed it needs to be divided up into the designated cups. Evaluations need to be
completed and recorded.

For the experiment the first step is to get together everything needed. The list is
not very complicated. For each variable you need 330 grams of confectioners sugar and
five milliliters of vanilla extract. The parts that change for the variables are the amounts
of butter or Butter Buds. For variable one 225g of butter are required, variable two needs
112.5 grams of butter and 112.5 grams of Butter Buds, and last, variable three needs 225
grams of Butter Buds.

The control recipe:
330 g confectioners’ sugar
225 g butter
5 ml of vanilla extract

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The weights of the Butter Buds are taken after they have been liquefied and are
ready to use. The equipment used is a standard hand mixer on a medium speed.

For the sensory part of the trial the frosting needs to be easily distributed. Each
variable was given a corresponding number. This works to keep the evaluation unbiased
by what people assume their opinions to be. The samples were put into one ounce plastic
cups with lids and labeled with the appropriate number.

To begin the experiment, all of the ingredients need to be mixed together in
different bowls, one for each variable. To ensure the correct amounts clean the mixer
between uses. The second step is to set aside enough frosting out of each variable to test
it in the water activity system. There are specific cups for the machine. Then fill a two
or three ounce cup with frosting from each variable. These will be used for the texture
analyzer evaluation. The remaining frosting can then be divided between the one ounce
cups, covered, and labeled with the appropriate number.

To complete the water activity system the cup with the frosting needs to be
properly placed in the machine. Then the experiment can be run. The result will show in
the screen on the left of the machine. This is the specific water activity for that variable.

To complete the texture analyzer the first step is to set the computer to the cream
cheese setting. This setting was selected because there is not one for frosting or icing.
Cream cheese is very similar to the desired texture for a buttercream frosting and should
yield appropriate results. The actual probe needs to be the skinny needle shaped
attachment. Next run the test run and use the results from this for the grams of force
needed to push through the product. This will be the final texture analyzer result.

For the sensory evaluation in this experiment an anchored line scale was selected.
This gives the tester an idea of where they want to rate the variables in their own mind as
well as compared to the other variables. Often one sample will be fine until the superior
one is sampled. The evaluators were asked to place a tick mark on the line where they
believed the quality of the variable fell. They are given one of each variable and a small
wooden tasting spoon. For each variable the texture, color, and flavor were evaluated.
After all of the variables had been tested the results are analyzed. All of the lines are an
equal length, which allows for an easy evaluation. The point on the line where the tick
mark is, marks the spot to measure. The length of this line is then taken as a fraction and
then a percentage. After all of them have been calculated the numbers can easily be
compared and an overall result is reached. The sample scorecard in figure 1 shows how
the card would prior to being marked.

Sample
#

Color

white yellow
Texture

thick runny
Flavor

favorable least

3

favorable

Figure 1. Sample of the Scorecard

The group of people that evaluated for this particular experiment are a random
selection. They all were told what they were testing and how to complete the scorecard
but nothing about the variables themselves. For each variable there were fifteen testers.
Not different a different tester for each type. All fifteen participants tested all three
variables.

In a more scientific study there would need to be at least one hundred participants
for the study to be deemed as valid. The fifteen served the purpose for this particular
experiment. This sampling technique could be duplicated for this experiment. The more
times it is done in the same fashion the more reputable the study would become. This
experiment was duplicated three times successfully. There were no alterations for any of
the three trials.

Discussion:
The first variable that was done was the control. This was a way to measure the

other variables when testing the qualities of the final products. There were no
modifications that needed to be made to this recipe after trial one. The product came out
exactly as planned. It had a thinner texture while being mixed and after sitting for a few
minutes it thickened to a very rich frosting. The texture was right and can be evaluated in
Figure 2. This is the desired texture for a standard buttercream. The color was almost a
pure white. It was not a white with blue undertones it had more yellow undertones.
Therefore it is an appropriate control for the other two variables.

Table 2 shows the desired water activity level and how similar variable one and
two are. This can also be noted in Table 1, result of the texture analyzer. The second
variable tested was the mixture of half butter and half butter buds. This product ended up
having a texture and color similar to the control. It was hard to tell these two variables
apart. The biggest difference between these two was the color. The color of the first was
much closer to a pure white while this variable had a more off-white color. This is
because of the butter buds. The butter buds product has yellow color added to it to make
it seem more like real butter in most of the ways it is applied. When mixed with the
confectioners sugar is was very noticeable that it was much more yellow than normal
butter.

The third variable had the greatest differences from the control. The water
activity level was much higher than both variable one and two. (Fig 3)This variable did
not result in a desirable product. The biggest difference between this variable and the
control was texture. (Fig 2) The texture of this variable 3 was very mucous like. While
the butter buds was being mixed with the confectioners’ sugar it became a glob that
climbed up the mixers as they spun. It would cling to them while they were one and once
they were turned off the mixture would flow off of them. It was an unexpected result.
The Mixture also had some properties to it that made it seems like more of a gel than a
water and sugar mixture. A cutting action was required to get a spoonful out of the bowl.
The entire mixture wanted to stay together in a glob. This variable was also a true pale
yellow.

Overall the results that were found were consistent in all three trials. This leads to
a conclusion that Butter Buds may not be a good alternative to butter in some recipes.

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The texture of the third variable was completely off. The variable two results may show
that Butter Buds could be used with butter to lower fat grams in some dishes. The
sensory panel results showed little difference in flavor and texture for this frosting.

There could have been a few areas where errors could have occurred. The first
may have been the actual measuring. This is not an uncommon occurrence and an easy
one to make in the lab. The worst area for this to happen would be the mixing of the
water with the powdered butter buds. Too much water could make the product more
liquid that it should be or on the other hand, too little water could make a stiffer
consistency that expected. Another source of error could have been the amount of time
the frosting was in the air before being run through any of the tests. All three variables
became thicker or stiffer the more time they were exposed to the air. This could affect
the water activity and the texture analyzer results. The color of the variables should not
have changed greatly even with a different amount of exposure time to the air. The third
source of error may have been the amount of frosting put into the cup for the texture
analyzer. The control is relatively thick and if it was not pushed completely into the cup
the reading may be off. All of these sources of error can easily be controlled in future
trials.

In future trials this experiment could be run the same way with slight variations.
Most enzyme-modified products like Butter Buds are used in processed foods. This may
be taken in to consideration during later trials. (Hulin-Bertaud, 2000) Butter Buds
company has a wide variety of different types of products including more variations on
the commercial product. There is also a selection of “Bud” products such as cocoa, sour
cream, cheese, and milk. All of these could be tested in similar ways to this experiment.
This experiment could be run also to find the threshold for acceptable levels of Butter
Buds used with butter. Another alternative experiment could be testing other butter
replacements. One of the newly studied examples would be a conjugated linoleic acid
that comes from animal fat. (Raloff, 1999)

Results:

Texture Analyzer

Trial Sample (g)

1

307 22.2

421 13.3

273 2.1

2

307 26

421 15

273 5

3

307 24.6

421 13

273 2

Table 1. Results for Trial 1, 2, 3 Texture Analysis

5

Water
Trial Sample Activity

1
307 0.768
421 0.776
273 0.832

2
307 0.759
421 0.77
273 0.831

3
307 0.762
421 0.777
273 0.84

Table 2. Results for Trial 1, 2, 3 Water Activity

Texture Analyzer (g) 30 Sample 307
25 Sample 421
20 1 23 Sample 273
15 Trial #
10 4

5
0

0

Figure 2. Graph of Texture Analyzer Results Over Three Trials

6

Title

Water Activity 0.85 Sample 307
0.84 Sample 421
0.83 12 3 Sample 273
0.82 Trial #
0.81 4

0.8
0.79
0.78
0.77
0.76
0.75

0

Figure 3. Graph of Water Activity Levels Over Three Trials

References:

Hulin-Bertaud S, Kilcawley KN, Wilkinson MG, Delahunty CM. 2000. Sensory and
Compositional Relationships Between Commercial Cheddar-flavored Enzyme-modified
Cheeses and Natural Cheddar. Journal of Food Science 65(6): 1076-1078

Lee CM, Resurreccion AVA. 2001. Improved Correlation Between Sensory and
Instrumental Measurement of Peanut Butter Texture. Journal of Food Science 67(5):
1939-1949

Minasian S. 2002. Answering the Foodservice Sauce Call. Food Product Design.
Northbrook, IL: Weeks Publishing Company. 10.

Raloff J. 1999. Better Butter? This one may fight cancer. (conjugated linoleic acid).
Farmington Hills, MI: HighBeam Research, Inc. 2.

Shukla A, Rizvi SSH. 1995. Viscoelastic Properties of Butter. Journal of Food Science
60(5): 902-905

www.bbuds.com

www.preparedfoods.com

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