Roskoshestvo tested butter (research results). The best butter according to Roskachestvo Roskachestvo examined the butter sold in the Russian Federation

Roskoshestvo conducted a comprehensive study of the most popular brands of traditional butter with a fat content of 82.5%. Experts checked whether the actual percentage of fat corresponds to that indicated on the packaging, whether milk fat is replaced with vegetable fat, and also told us in which packaging it is best to buy butter so that it lasts longer.

Taking into account previous tests of the quality of butter with 82.5% fat content, the final rating of Roskachestvo included 74 of the most popular brands from Russia and Belarus in our country; the new study included ten regional brands.

« after summing up the results of the first study of butter, we social media, the portal and mobile application of Roskachestvo received many responses from citizens of the country asking them to check local brands of oil from various regions. The new study includes some of these brands suggested by customers. In the future, we plan to return more than once to this important category for consumers.“- notes Maria Sapuntsova, deputy head of Roskachestvo.

Experts examined the products according to 68 quality and safety parameters, including butter tested for the presence of E. coli, QMAFAnM and salmonella, toxic elements, pesticides, antibiotics and mycotoxins.

An important vector of the research was the study of consumer properties of products - visitors to the Roskachestvo portal often asked experts questions about the unusual consistency of the oil and the “strange” taste, says Maria Sapuntsova. " Consumers are most often interested in whether manufacturers pass off the lower-fat “peasant” butter (72.5% fat content) as the classic, higher-fat “traditional” one, and whether they add “extra” ingredients, such as starch or vegetable fats».

In particular, the butter production process separates the water from the fat, but the manufacturer may leave more moisture in it than national standards require. This leads to a decrease in fat content and, accordingly, reduces the cost of oil.

Experts checked for falsification of butter: after all, the real product is made exclusively from milk fats, using cow's milk, cream and other milk processing products. If non-dairy fats (for example, vegetable fats) are added to the product, then such a product can no longer be called butter.

According to the results of the new stage of the study, all tested brands of butter were found to be completely safe. E. coli bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria, yeast and other pathogenic microorganisms were not identified in the new study. In 2016, research revealed a massive problem of exceeding microbiological indicators, which was associated with violation of storage conditions throughout the entire supply chain. Therefore, one of the most important recommendations for choosing high-quality butter remains the buyer’s careful study of the storage temperature on the store shelf - it should not exceed +6 degrees.

In addition, manufacturers of brands tested by Roskachestvo in this stage of a fan study do not deceive consumers regarding the composition of the oil and net weight: no cases of adulteration with vegetable fats were recorded in the new study, nor were there any cases of “weight gain.” Previously, vegetable fats were identified by Roskachestvo in 6 cases: in the brands “Vologda Meadows”, “LAV”, “Dairy Farm”, “Dairy Style”, “Rzhevushka”, “Russian Milk”.

But the mass fraction of fat did not correspond to all products: “Bezhin Meadow” (80%), “Green Village” (79%), “Sheksninsky Creamery” (80%), Goodness farm (79%) instead of the indicated 82.5% . This deviation correlates with an increased proportion of moisture - for these products it is higher than necessary.

Based on the results of the new stage of research, Cheburashkin Brothers butter will be able to qualify for the State Quality Mark. A the best oil on the Russian market, based on the results of all steel studies, 22 products out of 74 are oils that, in terms of their consumer characteristics, exceed the current GOST standards. In particular, this is oil under the trademarks “Asenyevskaya Farm”, “Cheburashkin Brothers”, “Brest-Litovsk”, “Volgorod Traditions”, “House in the Village”, “Karat”, “Perekrestok”, “Right Oil”, “Prostokvashino” ", "Rovenki", "Ruzskoye", "Savushkin", "A Thousand Lakes", "Ilyinskoye Estate", "Farm", "Ekomilk", "Ekomilk traditional", Arla Natura, Belorus export, Fine Life, Gudberg, Lattesco.

According to test results, a significant increase in quality was noted for the brands “Pravilnoye Oil”, “Thousand Lakes” and Arla Natura. These products fully comply with safety and quality requirements. This clearly demonstrates the effect of consumer “soft power” - a real result of the influence of Roskachestvo research on the market.

Regarding the frequent question of price/quality ratio, it is worth noting that the most expensive oil in the new study is 143 rubles. in terms of 100g, it turned out to be of high quality and safe, and the cheapest (78.5 rubles per 100g) - on the contrary, has problems with fat content and moisture.

Professional accredited experts from Roskachestvo, as always, conducted so-called sensory (organoleptic) studies of the taste of all brands of oil. The most delicious oil according to the results of organoleptic tests was the oil “Cow from Korenovka” (87.2 rubles per 100 g, Krasnodar Territory) - it is also the cheapest among oils that fully meet the quality requirements. Following it in the ranking of the most delicious butter is “The Cheburashkin Brothers” (88 rubles per 100 g; MO). Well, third place in the top three highest quality, but inexpensive - “Nostalgia” (93.89 rubles per 100 g; Saratov region).

If we talk about packaging, experts recommend buying butter in foil - compared to more “fashionable” parchment, it ensures better preservation of the butter, as it delays the evaporation of moisture. The foil also protects the product from photo-oxidation. It is because of light that oxidative processes begin to occur in the oil, due to which staff appears - a translucent yellow or simply different-colored layer on the surface of the oil.

According to Roskachestvo, the study of the 72.5% butter category covered more than 70% of the entire market for this product.

Most of the oil sold in domestic stores meets all requirements, and a quarter exceeds the current GOST standards in quality and claims to be awarded the state Quality Mark. However, it was not without counterfeit: experts calculated how much counterfeit oil is on the market and what method of falsification is the most popular, and also found out whether there is a direct relationship between the price of the product and its quality. Products with violations (of varying levels of severity) in the butter category as a whole occupy 25.59% of the market in volume terms. Products adulterated with non-dairy fats occupy 13.56% of the market in volume terms.

During the purchase, 82 of the most popular brands of oil were purchased. Cost 100 gr. oil at the time of purchase from 33.3 to 92.4 rubles.

Laboratory tests were carried out on 23 quality and safety indicators. The oil was tested for compliance with mandatory requirements, including an expanded group of antibiotics, microbiological indicators, including the presence of E. coli, yeast, mold, as well as for actual fat content and compliance with the stated information on the label. An important vector of research is checking for adulteration of dairy products with vegetable fats.

The results of the first all-Russian study of the quality of butter showed that 53 out of 82 products fully meet the established requirements. Of these, 19 brands are recognized as high-quality goods, since their performance exceeds the requirements of current GOSTs and can qualify for the state Quality Mark.

According to the results of the first all-Russian monitoring of the quality of dairy products, products of improved quality were butter under the brands “Privolzhsky Dairy Plant” (Nizhny Novgorod Region), “Choice of the Housewife” (Samara Region), “Kungurskoye” (Perm Territory), “Nytvenskoye” (Perm Territory), "Vemol" (Perm region), "Vyatushka" ( Kirov region), “Stozhok” (R. Udmurtia), “Krestyanskoe” (Krasnodar Territory), “Shepherd” (R. Kabardino-Balkaria), “MILK” (Kaliningrad region), “Côte de France” (Kaliningrad region), “Molochnaya fairy tale" (Altai region), "Every day" (Omsk region), Fine life (Moscow region), "Prostokvashino" (Moscow), "Vkusnoteevo" (Voronezh region), "Kozelskoe living" (Kaluga region), "House in village" (Vladimir region), "Tommoloko" (Tomsk region).
The best oil was produced in Moscow and the Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kirov, Kaliningrad, Omsk, Kaluga, Tomsk, Voronezh and Vladimir regions, Perm, Krasnodar and Altai territories, the republics of Udmurtia and Kabardino-Balkaria.

According to the test results, excess microbiological indicators (including yeast, mold, general bacterial contamination, E. coli) were detected by laboratories of control and supervisory authorities in 8 out of 82 brands of butter. Such results could be a consequence of either the low quality of the raw materials, or a violation of the sanitary condition of production or non-compliance with storage conditions for products at any stage of the supply chain, and are a significant industry problem. E. coli bacteria were found in the oil of Green Agro (Moscow region), Irbitskoye (Sverdlovsk region), Stavropol Dairy Plant (Stavropol Territory), Omsk Quality Mark (Omsk Region), Very Important Cow "(Tatarstan), "Semenishna" (Krasnoyarsk Territory) and "Creamy Morning" (Altai Territory)). An increased number of bacteria (KMAFAnM) was recorded in the products of Green Agro (Moscow Region), Stavropol Dairy Plant (Stavropol Territory), Omsk Quality Mark (Omsk Region) and Semenishna (Krasnoyarsk Territory). Yeast and mold were found in Polar Bear oil (Rostov region).

It is important to note that during the study, experts did not identify pathogenic microorganisms, in particular Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and Listeria. The content of toxic elements: lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, iron and copper (in butter), pesticides, mycotoxins and melamine in none of the samples exceeded the values ​​​​standardized by technical regulations. Also, not a single sample was identified that exceeded the standard values ​​of radiological indicators: cesium-137 and strontium-90.

The central point of the study of the three departments was testing for falsification. By law, butter is prepared from cow's milk, cream or other milk processing products, that is, exclusively from milk fats. If a product contains vegetable fats, it does not have the right to be called butter - only a spread.

All the butter tested, according to the information on the packaging, was supposed to be made from “pasteurized cream.” However, vegetable fats were found in 10 out of 82 products (“Appetizing all year round” (Moscow region), “Budenovskmolproduct” (Stavropol region), “Volzhanochka” (Volgograd region), “Peasant from Bashkiria” (Chelyabinsk region), “Lav product" (Moscow region), "Seryshevsky" (Amur region), "Sulimovskoye" (Chelyabinsk region), "Sulimovskoye "Bashkirskoye" (Chelyabinsk region), "TD Smetanin" (Moscow region) and "What you need" ( Moscow region)).

Another important component of the study was the testing of dairy products for the presence of antibiotics: an excess of antibacterial substances above the permitted level was found in the product “Summer Meadow” (Orenburg region). The oil of five brands also contained the presence of antibiotics of the tetracycline group, four - amphenicols, three - penicillin, but in quantities not exceeding the norm. The reasons are non-compliance with the requirements for raw materials or the inability to carry out incoming milk control using high-precision long-term methods for each incoming batch.

In addition, experts conducted a study of the fat content of the product - in “Peasant” butter it should not be lower than 72.5%. If there is less fat, then the manufacturer either does not sufficiently control the fat content of the incoming raw materials or has decided to reduce the cost of the product by reducing the amount of fat and increasing the amount of moisture. Low fat content was detected in nine brands out of 82: “Kubansky Molochnik” (Krasnodar Territory), “Health from Foothills” (Krasnodar Territory), “Pershinskoye” (Tyumen Region), “Budenovskmolproduct” (Stavropol Territory), “Tyumenmoloko” (Tyumen Region) region), "Yanta" (Irkutsk region), "Karlov Dvor" (Belgorod region), "Blagoveshchensk Dairy Plant" (Amur region), "Slavmo" (Republic of Karelia). The maximum deviation of the actual fat content from the declared one was 7%.

Checking the compliance of the actual weight with the declared one gave encouraging results: underweight was found only in one product - the Belebeyevskoye trademark (Republic of Bashkiria).

But the high price does not provide such a guarantee: the test showed that the ideal product does not mean the most expensive. Thus, the top 10 cheapest butters included products of three brands with the highest rating of 5.5 points (“Privolzhsky Dairy Plant” (Nizhny Novgorod Region), “Vkusnoteevo” (Voronezh Region), “Every Day” (Omsk Region At the same time, one of the most expensive oils studied, Seryshevsky, turned out to be adulterated.

Notifications of test results and reports were sent to manufacturers and trade operators, and most manufacturers began corrective measures to improve quality, Roskoshestvo said.

“Working together to fulfill the instructions of the Government allowed us to draw accurate and objective conclusions regarding the real situation on the market of the most popular dairy products, identify the main industry problems and outline ways to solve them. The storage conditions of products along the entire supply chain require the closest attention. It is necessary to eliminate the identified gaps, including the imperfections of a number of methods. We are also confident that the result of the study will be the fastest possible whitening of the market from those who falsify dairy products with fats of non-dairy origin,” said Maxim Protasov, head of Roskachestvo.

In the near future, Roskachestvo will also report on the results of completed studies of the most popular product categories among consumers such as milk and cottage cheese.

As part of a comprehensive study, Roskachestvo studied butter with 72.5% fat content from 82 brands, the total market share of which is more than 70%. Tests were carried out on 23 quality and safety indicators. The goods were purchased in the regions of eight Russian federal districts: Far Eastern, Volga, Northwestern, North Caucasus, Siberian, Ural, Central and Southern. The cost of butter at the time of purchase ranged from 59.88 to 299.99 rubles. per package (the study presented products in packages from 170 to 500 grams) and from 33.3 to 92.4 rubles. per 100 grams. Based on the test results, products from 19 brands will be able to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.

STANDARD OF THE RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM

The standard of the Russian quality system in comparison with the current GOST (GOST 32261-2013 “Butter. Technical conditions”) imposes more stringent requirements for the heat resistance of a product applying for the state Quality Mark. The heat resistance index of an oil determines the amount of time during which the product will not lose its shape at room temperature. Also, the Roskachestvo standard for butter has tightened the requirements of TR CU 033/2013 for the content of antibiotics. Butter is not allowed to contain antibiotics even in trace amounts and, in addition to the antibiotics included in the technical regulations of the Customs Union, nitroimidazoles and nitrofurans should not be found in it. The level of localization of production for awarding the Russian Quality Mark to butter must be at least 85%.

Less fat - more moisture

According to GOST "Peasant" butter must contain at least 72.5% fat.

Reference:

On the packaging of butter we can find such definitions as “Peasant”, “Amateur”, “Traditional”, and even “Sandwich” and “Tea”. These definitions are not simple oil names or epithets. These are classes of butter depending on its mass fraction of fat (established by GOST).

• "Traditional"– mass fraction of fat 82.5%.
• "Amateur"– mass fraction of fat 80%.
• "Peasant"– mass fraction of fat 72.5%.
• "Sandwich"– mass fraction of fat 61%.
• "Tea"– mass fraction of fat 50%.

However, some manufacturers can reduce the cost of oil by reducing the amount of fat and increasing the amount of moisture in the product. The average consumer, of course, will not feel it. But who likes to pay for one product, but in fact receive another, and cheaper one? Based on the test results, Roskachestvo identified 9 manufacturers who violated the rights of consumers to reliable labeling. The amount of fat in their oil was less than stated:

1. "Kuban Milkman" Krasnodar region.
2. "Health from the Foothills" Krasnodar region.
3. "Pershinskoe", Tyumen region.
4. "Budenovskmolproduct" Stavropol region.
5. "Tyumenmoloko" Tyumen region.
6. "Yanta" Irkutsk region.
7. "Karlov's Court" Belgorod region.
8. "Blagoveshchensk Dairy Plant" Amur region.
9. "Slavmo" Republic of Karelia.

The resulting butter, of course, is no longer “Sandwich”, but also not “Peasant”. The recorded maximum negative deviation of the actual fat content from the declared one was 7%.

The indicator of the mass fraction of moisture is associated with the indicator of the amount of fat. Increased amounts of moisture were observed in tests in fat-deficient oils.

There is as much fat as you need, but it’s not the right amount

Butter is a product made from cow's milk, cream or other milk products. That is, made exclusively from milk fats. If a product contains vegetable fats, it has no right to be called butter: this is a spread.

All the studied butter with a fat content of 72.5% contained pasteurized cream. Of course, there are no marks like “spread” or “margarine” on the packaging. But, unfortunately, it’s not on the packaging, but in reality there are such products.

Thus, vegetable fats were found in products of 10 brands: "Appetizing all year round"(MO), "Budenovskmolproduct"(Stavropol region), "Volzhanochka"(Volgograd region), "Peasant from Bashkiria"(Chelyabinsk region), "Love product"(MO), "Seryshevsky"(Amur region), "Sulimovskoye"(Chelyabinsk region), "Sulimovskoe“ Bashkir” » (Chelyabinsk region), "TD Smetanin"(My “Just what you need!”(MO).

By the way, Roskachestvo experts had previously found vegetable fats in kefir of the Budennovskmolproduct brand and 82.5% of Love Product butter. Apparently, these manufacturers did not work on the mistakes and were again found falsifying their products.

Note that the cost of counterfeit oil is not always lower than the average cost of oil. And although, for example, the product of the Love Product trademark is the cheapest of all the studied products (33.3 rubles per 100 grams), Seryshevsky oil is one of the most expensive studied oils (82.2 rubles per 100 grams ). So, the manufacturer’s replacement of milk fat with cheaper vegetable fat does not always affect the cost of the product for the consumer.

In addition, experts recorded some interesting facts:

• The packaging of the butter “Appetizing all year round” states: “Made according to GOST from natural cream.” As we can see, this bright statement runs counter to the truth.
• Products of the trademarks “Appetizing all year round” (own trademark (hereinafter – STM. – Note edit.) of the Karusel network), TD Smetanin (private label of the Magnit network) and “What you need!” (Private label of the O'KEY network) one manufacturer - Ozeretsk Dairy Plant CJSC. As we can see, he produces counterfeit goods for the listed private labels. However, the same manufacturer produces butter for the Ekomilk trademark (high-quality and safe), as well as for the METRO Cash and Carry private label chain (Fine Life). Fine Life butter is recognized as high quality. This suggests that the METRO Cash and Carry retail chain monitors the quality of products under its own private label.
• Butter “Just what you need!” very high fat content. It corresponds to “Traditional” oil – 82.7±0.7%. It’s a pity that the manufacturer achieved this fat content by adding vegetable fats.
• Reading the names of the products, the consumer may think that the list of counterfeits includes the famous oil from Bashkiria, since among the names of the samples there are “Peasant from Bashkiria” and “Sulimovskoe “Bashkirskoe””. However, both of these oils are produced in the Chelyabinsk region. The first is Chelyab-maslo LLC, the second is IP Timoshkin V.M.

Important!

In turn, the studied oil actually contains a Bashkir brand "Belebeevskoe" the violation was detected only by net weight. The actual net weight of this product is 20 grams lower than stated, that is, the manufacturer underweighted the oil by 10%. Otherwise, this oil has no drawbacks, although its final score was significantly reduced for deceiving the consumer in terms of the weight of the product - it amounted to 4.4 points. By the way, according to the results of the tests, this is the only case of underweight.

So that the oil does not upset

Butter is a perishable product. And consuming spoiled oil can lead to intestinal disorders. That is why experts carefully examined the microbiological parameters of the oil.

According to test results:

• Coli bacteria were found in seven brands of butter: "Green Agro"(MO), "Irbitskoye"(Sverdlovsk region), "Dairy plant“ Stavropol” » (Stavropol region), "Omsk quality mark"(Omsk region), "Very Important Cow"(Tatarstan), "Semyonishna"(Krasnoyarsk region) and "Creamy morning"(Altai region). Previously, kefir from the Stavropol Dairy Plant also attracted attention due to the presence of E. coli.
• Increased number of bacteria (QMAFAnM) recorded in products of four brands: "Green Agro"(MO), "Dairy plant“ Stavropol” » (Stavropol region), "Omsk quality mark"(Omsk region) and "Semyonishna"(Krasnoyarsk region).
• Yeast and mold experts found in oil "Polar bear"(Rostov region).
• Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria Experts did not find it in the examined oil.

It is worth mentioning that the listed violations may be associated not only with sanitary conditions in production, but also with violations of storage, transportation and sales at the point of sale. However, all the goods studied were purchased only from those retail outlets where the temperature regime was strictly observed.

About the freshness of butter.

The quality of butter may also deteriorate during storage due to deterioration (oxidation) of the fat it contains. And it can begin to deteriorate either due to problems with raw materials, or due to violations of the product’s production technology. This spoilage can affect the taste and smell of the oil. And the wonderful creamy taste can become unpleasant: rancid or sour. The onset of oxidative spoilage can be detected by measuring the acidity of the fat phase.

According to test results, experts found increased acidity of the fat phase only in branded butter "Semyonishna"(Krasnoyarsk region). However, the organoleptic characteristics of this product are normal. This fact did not affect the taste and smell in any way. At the same time, an increased number of bacteria and the presence of Escherichia coli bacteria were also recorded in the product of this TM.

"Contains no preservatives." What if you check?

Also, based on the results of the tests:

1. Dyes was not found in butter.
2. But four brands of butter were found to contain preservatives– traces of sorbic acid. Its presence suggests that manufacturers either artificially extended the shelf life of their products or protected the oil from spoilage. Moreover, the amount of sorbic acid detected varied greatly:
   • "Love product"(Moscow region) – 228.8 (!) mg/kg.
   • "Butter Farm"(Chelyabinsk region) – 50.4 mg/kg.
   • "Pestravka"(Samara region) – 6.4 mg/kg. Please note that the packaging of this product states: “100% natural dairy cream. Made from natural, pasteurized cream derived from fresh cow's milk," it also features a tree icon and the phrase "Eco-Friendly."
   • "Omsk quality mark"(Omsk region) – 1.7 mg/kg.

What about antibiotics?

In the fight against animal diseases, many farmers or producers themselves resort to antibiotics as preventive or therapeutic agents. If the veterinary program is not followed, antibiotics can end up in products of animal origin. In particular, in the dairy industry. Roskachestvo experts have already encountered the presence of antibiotics when studying cheese, cottage cheese, kefir and sour cream.

In general, the situation with antibiotics in butter has not worsened. Among the 82 brands of butter with 72.5% fat content studied, only one violation was found. Penicillin in excess of the permissible amount was found in the brand oil "Summer Meadow"(Orenburg region).

Trace amounts of the antibiotic streptomycin were found in products from 42 brands, but all these amounts did not exceed the limits established by law. The oil of five brands also contained the presence of antibiotics of the tetracycline group, four - amphenicols, three - penicillin, but - similarly - in quantities not exceeding the norm.

Since the amount of antibiotics in the butter of these brands does not exceed the standards established by technical regulations, formally the manufacturers of these goods will not be considered violators, but these goods will not be able to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.

Not in the refrigerator means out of shape

Whether butter retains its shape at room temperature or not is determined by its heat resistance. On the one hand, butter with low heat resistance is easier to spread on a sandwich. On the other hand, it is believed that the ability of butter to keep its shape is one of the signs of its quality.

Talks about heat resistance Executive Secretary of the Russian Dairy Union Larisa Abdullaeva

Thermal stability is more of a production characteristic. There is no such quality indicator in international standards for oil; this is a purely Russian tradition.

Thermal stability depends on the production methods, of which there are two: churning and transformation. Butter produced by the churning method (classic method) is harder, holds its shape better, but will spread worse on the sandwich. Oil produced by conversion (using more modern equipment) will be less heat stable, softer and more spreadable.

The heat resistance indicator is important primarily for the manufacturer; it helps him control the release of a packaged product that will retain its shape and will not look unpresentable or wrinkled during storage and sale. But the quality of the product - its taste, smell - does not depend on the value of the heat resistance indicator alone; more important indicators of nutritional and energy value will also remain high. So, it cannot be said that these products are bad. They are of high quality, but you need to be prepared for the fact that a stick of butter will not always be ideal in terms of geometric shape: it may be slightly irregular in shape, slightly wrinkled after transportation and storage on a store shelf.

Also this the indicator depends on other factors: what kind of milk is butter made from?(the composition of milk varies slightly between different breeds of cows, depending on the feed the cow eats), in what period was the oil produced?(summer oil is less heat-resistant, it is softer than winter oil) and, naturally, how is the oil produced?.

As the results of the study showed, there are no violations of heat resistance among butter with a fat content of 72.5%. However, the products of 40 brands did not meet the advanced requirements of the Roskachestvo standard.

It should be noted that the test results of butter with a fat content of 82.5%, previously published by Roskachestvo, revealed 11 violators of this parameter. They violated the rights of consumers to reliable labeling by indicating GOST 32261-2013, but in reality they did not comply with it.

Date: 07/26/2018 18:50

Source: http://www.vesti.ru

Roskoshestvo conducted a comprehensive study of the most popular brands of traditional butter with a fat content of 82.5%. Experts checked whether the actual percentage of fat corresponds to that indicated on the packaging, whether milk fat is replaced with vegetable fat, and also told us in which packaging it is best to buy butter so that it lasts longer.

Taking into account previous tests of the quality of butter with 82.5% fat content, the final rating included 74 of the most popular brands in our country from Russia and Belarus; the new study included 10 regional brands.

“After summing up the results of the first study of butter, we received many responses from citizens of the country through social networks, the portal and the Roskachestvo mobile application with a request to check local brands of butter from various regions. The new study includes some of these brands proposed by customers,” notes Deputy Head of Roskachestvo Maria Sapuntsova.

Experts examined the products according to 68 quality and safety parameters, including checking butter for the presence of E. coli, QMAFAnM and salmonella, toxic elements, pesticides, antibiotics and mycotoxins.

An important vector of the research was the study of consumer properties of products - visitors to the Roskachestvo portal often asked experts questions about the unusual consistency of the oil and the “strange” taste, says Maria Sapuntsova. According to her, consumers are most often interested in whether manufacturers pass off the lower-fat “peasant” butter (72.5% fat content) as classic, fatter “traditional” oil, and whether they add “extra” ingredients, such as starch or vegetable fats. In particular, the butter production process separates the water from the fat, but the manufacturer may leave more moisture in it than national standards require. This leads to a decrease in fat content and, accordingly, reduces the cost of oil.

Experts checked for falsification of butter, because the real product is made exclusively from milk fats, using cow's milk, cream and other milk processing products. If non-dairy fats (for example, vegetable fats) are added to the product, then such a product can no longer be called butter.

According to the results of a new stage of research, all tested brands of butter were found to be completely safe. E. coli bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria, yeast and other pathogenic microorganisms were not identified in the new study.

In 2016, research revealed a massive problem of exceeding microbiological indicators, which was associated with violation of storage conditions throughout the entire supply chain. Therefore, one of the most important recommendations for choosing high-quality butter remains the buyer’s careful study of the storage temperature on the store shelf - it should not exceed plus 6 degrees.

In addition, manufacturers of brands tested by Roskachestvo in this stage of a fan study do not deceive consumers in terms of oil composition and net weight: no cases of adulteration with vegetable fats were recorded in the new study, nor were there any cases of body kit. Previously, vegetable fats were identified by Roskachestvo in 6 cases: in the trademarks “Vologda Meadows”, “LOV”, “Dairy Farm”, “Dairy Style”, “Rzhevushka”, “Russian Milk”.

But the mass fraction of fat did not correspond to all products: “Bezhin Meadow” (80%), “Green Village” (79%), “Sheksninsky Creamery” (80%), Goodness farm (79%) instead of the indicated 82.5% . This deviation correlates with an increased proportion of moisture - for these products it is higher than necessary.

Based on the results of the new stage of the study, Cheburashkin Brothers butter will be able to qualify for the State Quality Mark, and the best butter on the Russian market, based on the results of all studies, was 22 products out of 74 - this is butter that, in terms of its consumer characteristics, exceeds the current GOST standards. In particular, this is oil under the trademarks “Asenyevskaya Farm”, “Cheburashkin Brothers”, “Brest-Litovsk”, “Volgorod Traditions”, “House in the Village”, “Karat”, “Perekrestok”, “Right Oil”, “Prostokvashino” ", "Rovenki", "Ruzskoye", "Savushkin", "A Thousand Lakes", "Ilyinskoye Estate", "Farm", "Ekomilk", "Ekomilk traditional", Arla Natura, Belorus export, Fine Life, Gudberg, Lattesco.

According to test results, a significant increase in quality was noted for the brands “Pravilnoye Oil”, “Thousand Lakes” and Arla Natura. These products fully comply with safety and quality requirements. This clearly demonstrates the effect of consumer “soft power” - a real result of the influence of Roskachestvo research on the market.

It is worth noting that the most expensive oil in the new study - 143 rubles per 100 grams - turned out to be of high quality and safe, and the cheapest - 78.5 rubles per 100 grams - on the contrary, has problems with fat content and moisture.

Professional accredited experts from Roskachestvo, as always, conducted so-called sensory (organoleptic) studies of the taste of all brands of oil. According to the results of organoleptic tests, the most delicious oil was the “Cow from Korenovka” oil (87.2 rubles per 100 grams, Krasnodar Territory) - it is also the cheapest among oils that fully meet the quality requirements. Following it in the ranking of the most delicious butter is “Cheburashkin Brothers” (88 rubles per 100 grams, Moscow region). Third place in the top three highest quality, but inexpensive - “Nostalgia” (93.89 rubles per 100 grams, Saratov region).

If we talk about packaging, experts recommend buying butter in foil - compared to more “fashionable” parchment, it ensures better preservation of the butter, as it delays the evaporation of moisture. The foil also protects the product from photo-oxidation. It is because of light that oxidative processes begin to occur in the oil, due to which staff appears - a translucent yellow or simply different-colored layer on the surface of the oil.

As part of a comprehensive study, Roskachestvo studied butter with 72.5% fat content from 82 brands, the total market share of which is more than 70%. Tests were carried out on 23 quality and safety indicators. The goods were purchased in the regions of eight Russian federal districts: Far Eastern, Volga, Northwestern, North Caucasus, Siberian, Ural, Central and Southern. The cost of butter at the time of purchase ranged from 59.88 to 299.99 rubles. per package (the study presented products in packages from 170 to 500 grams) and from 33.3 to 92.4 rubles. per 100 grams. Based on the test results, products from 19 brands will be able to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.

STANDARD OF THE RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM

The standard of the Russian quality system in comparison with the current GOST (GOST 32261-2013 “Butter. Technical conditions”) imposes more stringent requirements for the heat resistance of a product applying for the state Quality Mark. The heat resistance index of an oil determines the amount of time during which the product will not lose its shape at room temperature. Also, the Roskachestvo standard for butter has tightened the requirements of TR CU 033/2013 for the content of antibiotics. Butter is not allowed to contain antibiotics even in trace amounts and, in addition to the antibiotics included in the technical regulations of the Customs Union, nitroimidazoles and nitrofurans should not be found in it. The level of localization of production for awarding the Russian Quality Mark to butter must be at least 85%.

Less fat - more moisture

According to GOST "Peasant" butter must contain at least 72.5% fat.

Reference:

On the packaging of butter we can find such definitions as “Peasant”, “Amateur”, “Traditional”, and even “Sandwich” and “Tea”. These definitions are not simple oil names or epithets. These are classes of butter depending on its mass fraction of fat (established by GOST).

• "Traditional"– mass fraction of fat 82.5%.
• "Amateur"– mass fraction of fat 80%.
• "Peasant"– mass fraction of fat 72.5%.
• "Sandwich"– mass fraction of fat 61%.
• "Tea"– mass fraction of fat 50%.

However, some manufacturers can reduce the cost of oil by reducing the amount of fat and increasing the amount of moisture in the product. The average consumer, of course, will not feel it. But who likes to pay for one product, but in fact receive another, and cheaper one? Based on the test results, Roskachestvo identified 9 manufacturers who violated the rights of consumers to reliable labeling. The amount of fat in their oil was less than stated:

1. "Kuban Milkman" Krasnodar region.
2. "Health from the Foothills" Krasnodar region.
3. "Pershinskoe", Tyumen region.
4. "Budenovskmolproduct" Stavropol region.
5. "Tyumenmoloko" Tyumen region.
6. "Yanta" Irkutsk region.
7. "Karlov's Court" Belgorod region.
8. "Blagoveshchensk Dairy Plant" Amur region.
9. "Slavmo" Republic of Karelia.

The resulting butter, of course, is no longer “Sandwich”, but also not “Peasant”. The recorded maximum negative deviation of the actual fat content from the declared one was 7%.

The indicator of the mass fraction of moisture is associated with the indicator of the amount of fat. Increased amounts of moisture were observed in tests in fat-deficient oils.

There is as much fat as you need, but it’s not the right amount

Butter is a product made from cow's milk, cream or other milk products. That is, made exclusively from milk fats. If a product contains vegetable fats, it has no right to be called butter: this is a spread.

All the studied butter with a fat content of 72.5% contained pasteurized cream. Of course, there are no marks like “spread” or “margarine” on the packaging. But, unfortunately, it’s not on the packaging, but in reality there are such products.

Thus, vegetable fats were found in products of 10 brands: "Appetizing all year round"(MO), "Budenovskmolproduct"(Stavropol region), "Volzhanochka"(Volgograd region), "Peasant from Bashkiria"(Chelyabinsk region), "Love product"(MO), "Seryshevsky"(Amur region), "Sulimovskoye"(Chelyabinsk region), "Sulimovskoe“ Bashkir” » (Chelyabinsk region), "TD Smetanin"(My “Just what you need!”(MO).

By the way, Roskachestvo experts had previously found vegetable fats in kefir of the Budennovskmolproduct brand and 82.5% of Love Product butter. Apparently, these manufacturers did not work on the mistakes and were again found falsifying their products.

Note that the cost of counterfeit oil is not always lower than the average cost of oil. And although, for example, the product of the Love Product trademark is the cheapest of all the studied products (33.3 rubles per 100 grams), Seryshevsky oil is one of the most expensive studied oils (82.2 rubles per 100 grams ). So, the manufacturer’s replacement of milk fat with cheaper vegetable fat does not always affect the cost of the product for the consumer.

In addition, experts recorded some interesting facts:

• The packaging of the butter “Appetizing all year round” states: “Made according to GOST from natural cream.” As we can see, this bright statement runs counter to the truth.
• Products of the trademarks “Appetizing all year round” (own trademark (hereinafter – STM. – Note edit.) of the Karusel network), TD Smetanin (private label of the Magnit network) and “What you need!” (Private label of the O'KEY network) one manufacturer - Ozeretsk Dairy Plant CJSC. As we can see, he produces counterfeit goods for the listed private labels. However, the same manufacturer produces butter for the Ekomilk trademark (high-quality and safe), as well as for the METRO Cash and Carry private label chain (Fine Life). Fine Life butter is recognized as high quality. This suggests that the METRO Cash and Carry retail chain monitors the quality of products under its own private label.
• Butter “Just what you need!” very high fat content. It corresponds to “Traditional” oil – 82.7±0.7%. It’s a pity that the manufacturer achieved this fat content by adding vegetable fats.
• Reading the names of the products, the consumer may think that the list of counterfeits includes the famous oil from Bashkiria, since among the names of the samples there are “Peasant from Bashkiria” and “Sulimovskoe “Bashkirskoe””. However, both of these oils are produced in the Chelyabinsk region. The first is Chelyab-maslo LLC, the second is IP Timoshkin V.M.

Important!

In turn, the studied oil actually contains a Bashkir brand "Belebeevskoe" the violation was detected only by net weight. The actual net weight of this product is 20 grams lower than stated, that is, the manufacturer underweighted the oil by 10%. Otherwise, this oil has no drawbacks, although its final score was significantly reduced for deceiving the consumer in terms of the weight of the product - it amounted to 4.4 points. By the way, according to the results of the tests, this is the only case of underweight.

So that the oil does not upset

Butter is a perishable product. And consuming spoiled oil can lead to intestinal disorders. That is why experts carefully examined the microbiological parameters of the oil.

According to test results:

• Coli bacteria were found in seven brands of butter: "Green Agro"(MO), "Irbitskoye"(Sverdlovsk region), "Dairy plant“ Stavropol” » (Stavropol region), "Omsk quality mark"(Omsk region), "Very Important Cow"(Tatarstan), "Semyonishna"(Krasnoyarsk region) and "Creamy morning"(Altai region). Previously, kefir from the Stavropol Dairy Plant also attracted attention due to the presence of E. coli.
• Increased number of bacteria (QMAFAnM) recorded in products of four brands: "Green Agro"(MO), "Dairy plant“ Stavropol” » (Stavropol region), "Omsk quality mark"(Omsk region) and "Semyonishna"(Krasnoyarsk region).
• Yeast and mold experts found in oil "Polar bear"(Rostov region).
• Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria Experts did not find it in the examined oil.

It is worth mentioning that the listed violations may be associated not only with sanitary conditions in production, but also with violations of storage, transportation and sales at the point of sale. However, all the goods studied were purchased only from those retail outlets where the temperature regime was strictly observed.

About the freshness of butter.

The quality of butter may also deteriorate during storage due to deterioration (oxidation) of the fat it contains. And it can begin to deteriorate either due to problems with raw materials, or due to violations of the product’s production technology. This spoilage can affect the taste and smell of the oil. And the wonderful creamy taste can become unpleasant: rancid or sour. The onset of oxidative spoilage can be detected by measuring the acidity of the fat phase.

According to test results, experts found increased acidity of the fat phase only in branded butter "Semyonishna"(Krasnoyarsk region). However, the organoleptic characteristics of this product are normal. This fact did not affect the taste and smell in any way. At the same time, an increased number of bacteria and the presence of Escherichia coli bacteria were also recorded in the product of this TM.

"Contains no preservatives." What if you check?

Also, based on the results of the tests:

1. Dyes was not found in butter.
2. But four brands of butter were found to contain preservatives– traces of sorbic acid. Its presence suggests that manufacturers either artificially extended the shelf life of their products or protected the oil from spoilage. Moreover, the amount of sorbic acid detected varied greatly:
   • "Love product"(Moscow region) – 228.8 (!) mg/kg.
   • "Butter Farm"(Chelyabinsk region) – 50.4 mg/kg.
   • "Pestravka"(Samara region) – 6.4 mg/kg. Please note that the packaging of this product states: “100% natural dairy cream. Made from natural, pasteurized cream derived from fresh cow's milk," it also features a tree icon and the phrase "Eco-Friendly."
   • "Omsk quality mark"(Omsk region) – 1.7 mg/kg.

What about antibiotics?

In the fight against animal diseases, many farmers or producers themselves resort to antibiotics as preventive or therapeutic agents. If the veterinary program is not followed, antibiotics can end up in products of animal origin. In particular, in the dairy industry. Roskachestvo experts have already encountered the presence of antibiotics when studying cheese, cottage cheese, kefir and sour cream.

In general, the situation with antibiotics in butter has not worsened. Among the 82 brands of butter with 72.5% fat content studied, only one violation was found. Penicillin in excess of the permissible amount was found in the brand oil "Summer Meadow"(Orenburg region).

Trace amounts of the antibiotic streptomycin were found in products from 42 brands, but all these amounts did not exceed the limits established by law. The oil of five brands also contained the presence of antibiotics of the tetracycline group, four - amphenicols, three - penicillin, but - similarly - in quantities not exceeding the norm.

Since the amount of antibiotics in the butter of these brands does not exceed the standards established by technical regulations, formally the manufacturers of these goods will not be considered violators, but these goods will not be able to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.

Not in the refrigerator means out of shape

Whether butter retains its shape at room temperature or not is determined by its heat resistance. On the one hand, butter with low heat resistance is easier to spread on a sandwich. On the other hand, it is believed that the ability of butter to keep its shape is one of the signs of its quality.

Talks about heat resistance Executive Secretary of the Russian Dairy Union Larisa Abdullaeva

Thermal stability is more of a production characteristic. There is no such quality indicator in international standards for oil; this is a purely Russian tradition.

Thermal stability depends on the production methods, of which there are two: churning and transformation. Butter produced by the churning method (classic method) is harder, holds its shape better, but will spread worse on the sandwich. Oil produced by conversion (using more modern equipment) will be less heat stable, softer and more spreadable.

The heat resistance indicator is important primarily for the manufacturer; it helps him control the release of a packaged product that will retain its shape and will not look unpresentable or wrinkled during storage and sale. But the quality of the product - its taste, smell - does not depend on the value of the heat resistance indicator alone; more important indicators of nutritional and energy value will also remain high. So, it cannot be said that these products are bad. They are of high quality, but you need to be prepared for the fact that a stick of butter will not always be ideal in terms of geometric shape: it may be slightly irregular in shape, slightly wrinkled after transportation and storage on a store shelf.

Also this the indicator depends on other factors: what kind of milk is butter made from?(the composition of milk varies slightly between different breeds of cows, depending on the feed the cow eats), in what period was the oil produced?(summer oil is less heat-resistant, it is softer than winter oil) and, naturally, how is the oil produced?.

As the results of the study showed, there are no violations of heat resistance among butter with a fat content of 72.5%. However, the products of 40 brands did not meet the advanced requirements of the Roskachestvo standard.

It should be noted that the test results of butter with a fat content of 82.5%, previously published by Roskachestvo, revealed 11 violators of this parameter. They violated the rights of consumers to reliable labeling by indicating GOST 32261-2013, but in reality they did not comply with it.