Development and Method Validation of Butyric Acid and Milk Fat Analysis in Butter Blends and Blended Milk Products by GC-FID

Abstract

Butyric acid is a short-chain saturated fatty acid with four carbon atoms in its molecule. It is unique to butter made from cow’s milk and is an indicator to evaluate the quality of butter and milk products as stated in their ingredient labels. This study determined the milk fat content of butter blends and blended milk products by analyzing the content of butyric acid prepared as derivatives of methyl esters prior to injection into a gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC–FID). Results revealed that this method had specificity, a linear relationship for concentration in the range of 0.04–1.60 mg/mL, a coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.999, an instrumental limit of detection (LOD) and a limit of quantitative analysis (LOQ) at 0.01% and 0.10% of total fat, respectively, and an instrumental working range of 0.10–3.60% of total fat. The results of a precision study using relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.3%, while an accuracy study using the spiking method showed % recovery in the range of 98.2–101.9%. The method linearity range for milk fat analysis had a good linear correlation in the range of 3–100% of total fat (R2 > 0.999). Results for method LOD and LOQ were 1% and 3% of total fat, respectively. This method also had good precision (1.3% RSD) and accuracy (99.6–100.1% recovery), which indicates reliability in terms of precision and accuracy. This method, therefore, can be used to check claims about the quality of blended butter and blended milk products to ensure consumer confidence in product quality.