Fats & Oils
Brazilian Clarified Butter in gelato
Brazilian clarified butter is nearly pure milk fat (about 99% fat, roughly 0.5% water) with the water and most milk solids cooked off. In gelato it is a concentrated, anhydrous fat source that boosts richness, body and creaminess without adding water or sugar.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 99.5% |
| Water | 0.5% |
| Sugars | 0% |
| Fat | 99% |
| MSNF | 0.5% |
| Protein | 0% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 0 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 0 |
Typical use: About 1-5% of the total mix (used sparingly as a fat/solids booster).
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Use clarified butter as a pure, water-free way to raise total fat and total solids. Because it contains no sugars, salt or alcohol, it contributes 0 to both PAC and POD, so it changes body and mouthfeel without shifting the freezing point or sweetness. Milk fat coats ice crystals and air cells, giving a smoother, warmer, creamier texture and slower melt. Being anhydrous, it enriches a mix without the dilution that cream or butter would add. Keep additions modest: excess milk fat (which melts around 32-35 C) can make gelato heavy, waxy or greasy and can dull flavor release.
Origin & background
Clarified butter has been made for millennia; the Indian tradition of ghee dates back over 3,000 years, and the technique of simmering butter to drive off water and separate the milk solids is the same worldwide. Brazil has its own rustic version, 'manteiga de garrafa' (bottled butter), a clarified butter traditional to the Northeast sertao. Internationally the product is governed by Codex Alimentarius standard CODEX STAN 280-1973, which sets a minimum of 99.6% milk fat for ghee and butter oil.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — Butter, Clarified butter (ghee): total fat ~99.5 g, water ~0.5 g, protein 0 g, carbohydrate 0 g per 100 g (https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Butter,_Clarified_butter_(ghee)_nutritional_value.html)
- Tetra Pak Dairy Processing Handbook — Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF) and Butter Oil, citing Codex Alimentarius CODEX STAN 280-1973: ghee/butter oil min 99.6% milk fat (https://dairyprocessinghandbook.tetrapak.com/chapter/anhydrous-milk-fat-amf-and-butter-oil)
- ADPI — Anhydrous Milk Fat ingredient resource: milk fat product with water and non-fat solids removed (https://adpi.org/ingredient-resources/anhydrous-milk-fat/)
- ScienceDirect — Nutritional composition of ghee (various animal origins): mean fat ~98.9 g/100 g, moisture 0.25–0.63 g/100 g (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889157524002850)