USA – Scientists at Cornell have refined a process that reverses the typical 80% water, 20% fat ratio in butter.
The low-calorie butter is made by emulsifying water with tiny amounts of vegetable oil and milk to create a butter with 75% less fat. While professor and senior author, Alireza Abbaspourrad points out that emulsifying water and oil isn’t new, he said that by employing high-internal phase emulsions (HIPE) “we keep adding water to that oil until the final composition is 80% water and 20% oil.” Adjustments can be made to achieve specific health and taste benefits.
“We can add milk protein or plant-based protein, and since the water acts like a carrier, we can adjust for nutrition and load it with vitamins or add flavors,” added Abbaspourrad. “Essentially, we can create something that makes it feel like butter – and instead of seeing a lot of saturated fat, this has minute amounts. It’s a completely different formulation.”
