Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF)

and Butteroil
Anhydrous milk fat and butteroil are products consisting of more or less
pure milk fat. Although they are modern industrial products, they have
ancient traditional roots in some cultures. Ghee, a milk fat product with
more protein and a more pronounced flavour than AMF, has been known
in India and Arab countries for centuries.

Anhydrous milk fat products are manufactured in three distinct qualities

specified by FIL-IDF International Standard 68A:1977:

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 • Anhydrous Milk Fat must contain at least 99,8 % milk fat and be made
from fresh cream or butter. No additives are allowed, e.g. for
neutralisation of free fatty acids.
• Anhydrous Butteroil must contain at least 99,8 % milk fat, but can be
made from cream or butter of different ages. Use of alkali to neutralise
free fatty acids is permitted.
• Butteroil must contain 99,3 % milkfat. Raw material and processing
specifications are the same as for Anhydrous Butteroil.
In this chapter, the expression “AMF” will be used for all products described
in FIL-IDF International Standard 68A:1977.

AMF characteristics
Butter has been the traditional form of storage for milk fat, but in some
cases AMF is more preferable, because it requires less storage space.
Butter is regarded as a fresh product, although it can usually be stored at
+4 °C for up to six weeks. If it is stored for a longer period of time, say up to
10 – 12 months, a storage temperature of at least –25 °C is mandatory.
AMF is typically packed in 200-litre drums nitrogen (N2) headspace, and
can be stored for several months at +4 °C. AMF is liquid at temperatures
above 36 °C and solid below 16 – 17 °C.

Whole milk

Centrifugal
Skim milk separation

Cream
40 %

Concentration of
fat in two
different steps

Method Method
I II

"Buttermilk" Centrifugal pre- Butter making Buttermilk

~ 1 % fat concentration (including phase ~ 0,6-0,8 %
inversion) fat

Cream Butter
75 % fat ~ 80 % fat

Phase inversion Melting

by means of a holding
homogeniser

"Buttermilk" Final centrifugal Final centrifugal Water

20-30 % fat concentration concentration phase

Butteroil Butteroil
99,5 % fat 99,5 % fat

Vacuum treatment Vacuum treatment

Fig. 13.1 Block chart showing principle AMF AMF

of AMF production. 99,8 % fat 99,8 % fat

294 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 13

 AMF is convenient to use in liquid form because it is easy to mix with,
and meter into other products. Thus, AMF is used for recombination of
various dairy products, but it is also used in the chocolate and ice cream
manufacturing industries.
Demand for butter is decreasing, partly due to the increased use of AMF.
One field of application where the use of AMF will increase is in “blends “ of
different fat contents and with mixtures of butter and vegetable oils, to
make products with different functional properties.
Customised fat products for various applications can be obtained by
fractionation of AMF.

Production of AMF
Principles of production
Production of AMF principally takes place according to two methods;
continuous flow direct from cream (milk), and from reworked butter. The
block chart in Figure 13.1 visualises the two methods.
The quality of the AMF is a result of the quality of the raw material and
there should therefore be no difference whatever method is chosen. If, for
any reason, the respective qualities of cream and butter should be
considered not good enough, there are some means of improving quality by
polishing (washing) the oil or even neutralising it, before the final evaporation
step is passed. These operations are discussed below under AMF Refining.

Manufacture of AMF from cream

A production line for manufacture of AMF from cream is outlined in Figure
13.2.

1
2
4 5

8 9 12
6

10 11
7

13

Fig. 13.2 Production line for AMF

from cream.
Cream 1 Balance tank 6 Buffer tank
2 Plate heat exchanger for 7 Homogeniser for phase inversion
Buttermilk
heating or pasteurisation 8 Plate heat exchanger for cooling
Heating media 3 Balance tank 9 Final concentrator
Cooling media 4 Pre-concentrator 10 Balance tank
Vapour 5 Separator (optional) for 11 Plate heat exchanger for heating/cooling
"buttermilk" from the 12 Vacuum chamber
pre-concentrator (4) 13 Storage tank

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 Pasteurised or non-pasteurised cream of 35 – 40 % fat content enters
the AMF plant via the balance tank (1) and is routed via the plate heat
exchanger (2) for temperature adjustment or pasteurisation to the centrifuge
(4) for pre-concentration of the fat to about 75 %. The temperature at pre-
concentration and downstream to the plate heat exchanger (11) is
maintained at approx. 60 °C. The “light” phase is collected in a buffer tank
(6) to await further processing while the “heavy“ phase, typically called
buttermilk, can be passed through a separator (5) for recovery of fat which
will then be mixed with incoming cream (3). The skimmed buttermilk goes
back to the plate heat exchanger (2) for heat recovery and then to a storage
tank.
After intermediate storage in tank (6), the cream concentrate is fed to a
homogeniser (7) for phase inversion (disruption of the fat globules to release
the fat), after which it is passed through the final concentrator (9). In this
concentrator the product is separated into a light phase with 99,5 % fat and
a heavy phase, with a substantial amount of fat, which is returned to the
process via balance tank (3).
As the homogeniser operates at a slightly higher capacity than the final
concentrator, the surplus product not caught by the concentrator is
recirculated to the buffer tank (6). Part of the mechanical energy used in the
homogenisation process is converted into heat; to avoid disturbing the
temperature cycle of the plant, this surplus heat is removed in the cooler (8).
Finally, the oil consisting of some 99,5 % fat is pre-heated to 95 – 98 °C
in a plate heat exchanger (11) and routed into a vacuum chamber (12) to
obtain a moisture content not exceeding 0,1 %, after which the oil is cooled
(11) to approx. 40 °C, the typical packing temperature.
The key components of an AMF plant operating on cream are thus
separators for concentration of fat and homogenisers for phase inversion.

Manufacture of AMF from butter

AMF is often produced from butter, especially from butter that is not
expected to be used within a reasonable period of time. There may be
some difficulty in achieving a completely bright oil after the final
concentration step when freshly produced butter is the starting material; the
oil tends to be impaired by slight cloudiness. This phenomenon does not
occur with butter that has been stored for two weeks or more.
The reason for this phenomenon is not fully understood, but it is known
that it takes some time (weeks) after churning before the “body” of the
butter is fully developed. It has also been noted that when samples of butter
are heated, the emulsion of fresh butter seems to be more difficult to split
than that of aged butter and that it does not look so bright either.
Sweet cream, non-salted butter is normally used as the raw material, but
cultured cream, salted butter may also be used.
Figure 13.3 shows a standard plant for production of AMF from butter.
The plant is fed with butter from boxes (25 kg) which have been stored for
some period of time. The raw material may also be frozen butter stored at –
25 °C.
After having been stripped of the boxes, the butter is melted by indirect
heating in equipment of various kinds. Before the final concentration starts,
the temperature of the melted butter should have reached 60 °C.
As a rule, melting by direct heating (steam injection) leads, to formation
of a new type of emulsion with small air bubbles forming a dipersed phase,
which is very difficult to separate. In the subsequent concentration, this
phase is concentrated together with the oil and causes cloudiness.
After melting and heating, the hot product is pumped to a holding tank
(2) where it may be held for up to 30 min, primarily to ensure complete
melting, but also to allow the protein to aggregate.
From the holding tank, the product is pumped to the final concentrator
(3), after which the light phase, containing 99,5% fat, proceeds to a plate
heat exchanger (5) for heating to 90 – 95°C. From there is proceeds to a

296 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 13

vacuum vessel (6), and finally back to the plate heat exchanger (5) for
cooling to the packing temperature of approx. 40°C.
The heavy phase can be pumped into a tank for buttermilk or into a
waste-collecting tank, depending on whether it is “pure”, or contaminated
with a neutraliser.
If the butter comes direct from a continuous buttermaker, the same risk
of obtaining a cloudy oil arises as in the aforementioned case of fresh butter.
However, with a final concentrator of hermetic design, it is possible to
regulate the level inside the machine to obtain a bright oil phase of 99,5 %
fat at a slightly lower volume, and a heavy phase of relatively high fat

1
2

6 5 3
7
4

Fig. 13.3 Production line for AMF from butter. Cream

Buttermilk
content (about 7 %) at a slightly higher volume. The heavy phase should Heating media
then be reseparated and the cream obtained should be recycled, by mixing Cooling media
it with the cream fed to the continuous buttermaker. Vapour

1 Melter and heater for butter

2 Holding tank
AMF refining 3 Concentrator
AMF can be refined for various purposes. Examples of refining processes 4 Balance tank
5 Plate heat exchanger for heating/
are:
cooling
• Polishing 6 Vacuum chamber
• Neutralisation 7 Storage tank
• Fractionation
• Decholesterolisation

Polishing
Polishing involves washing of the oil with water to obtain a clear, shiny
(bright) product. In this step, 20 – 30 % water is added to the oil coming
from the final concentrator. The water temperature should be the same as
the oil temperature. After a short hold, the water is separated out again,
taking water-soluble substances (mainly protein) with it.

Neutralisation
Neutralisation is performed to reduce the level of free fatty acids (FFA)
present in the oil. High levels of FFA give rise to off-flavours in the oil and the
products in which it is used.
Alkali (NaOH) at a concentration of 8 – 10 % is added to oil in an amount
corresponding to the level of FFA. After a hold of around 10 seconds, water
is added in the same proportion as for polishing, and the saponified FFA is

Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 13 297

 separated out together with the water phase. It is important that the oil and
alkali are well mixed, but this must be done gently to avoid re-emulsification
of the fat.
The arrangement of a neutralisation step is shown in Figure 13.4. The
alkali solution in tank (1), at 8 – 10 % concentration and a temperature
equal to that of the oil leaving the final concentrator, is dosed (2) into the oil
stream. After thorough mixing (3), the flow passes a holding section (4) for
10 seconds, after which hot water is dosed into the stream (5) in an amount
of some 30 % of the flow en route to a second concentrator (6), via a
mixing unit (7).

Fractionation
Fractionation is a process where the oil is separated into high-melting and
low-melting fats. These fractions have different properties and can be used
in various products.
There are several methods of fractionating fat, but the most commonly
used is one in which no additives are used. The process can be briefly
described as follows:
The AMF, often polished to obtain the highest possible degree of purity in
the “raw oil”, is melted and then cooled slowly to a calculated temperature
at which the specified fraction crystallises out while fractions with lower
melting points remain liquid. The crystals are harvested with special filters.
The filtrate is then cooled to a lower temperature at which other fractions
crystallise and are harvested, and so on.

Decholesterolisation
Decholesterolisation is a process in which cholesterol is removed from the
AMF.
A frequently used method is to mix the oil with a modified starch, beta-
cyclodextrine (BCD). The BCD molecule surrounds the cholesterol and
forms a precipitate, which can be separated out by centrifugation.

Fig. 13.4 Neutralisation of free fatty

acids (FFA) can be one of the refining
processes in the production of Anhy-
drous Butteroil or Butteroil.
1 Tank for alkali
2 Dosing pump
3 Mixing equipment
4 Holding cell
5 Water injection
6 Separation of saponified FFA
7 Oil/water mixer 1
3 6

4
Cream/Butteroil
Alkali
5
Water 2
7

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Packaging
AMF is filled in containers of various sizes. For households and restaurants,
containers of 1 kg to 19,5 kg are available and for industrial uses drums of
at least 185 kg are used.
Normally an inert gas, nitrogen (N2), is first injected in the container. As
the N2 gas is heavier than air, it sinks to the bottom. When filling the AMF –
which is heavier than N2 – the AMF will sit underneath and the N2 gas will
create an “air-tight lid”, preventing the AMF from air-induced oxidation.

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