Buttermilk
Fermented dairy drink
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Through Milk, Bacteria and Pasteurization
Buttermilk is consumed as a beverage and used in cooking. Drinking buttermilk remains common in warmer climates where unrefrigerated milk sours quickly, as the fermentation prevents further spoilage. In making soda bread, the acid in fermented buttermilk reacts with the leavening agent, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), to produce carbon dioxide. Buttermilk is used in marination, especially for chicken and pork.
Traditional buttermilk
Buttermilk originated before the advent of refrigeration and homogenization, when fresh raw milk was left to stand for a period of time to allow the cream to separate to the top. During the separation period, naturally occurring lactic acid-producing bacteria in the milk ferment it, which facilitates the butter churning process, because fat from cream with a lower pH coalesces more readily than that of fresh cream. As this acidic environment also helps prevent potentially harmful microorganisms from growing, spoilage is delayed. This traditional method is susceptible to spoilage during the fermenting and churning processes, particularly under poor hygiene standards and when it is not kept cool. Refrigeration and the use of fresh milk in near-aseptically clean dairies largely eliminated these problems.
Traditional buttermilk is still common in many households across South Asia, the Middle East, and various parts of Europe but is seldom found in other Western countries. In Arab culture, buttermilk is commonly sold ice cold with other dairy products and often consumed during Ramadan for iftar and suhur, while in the Indian subcontinent, it may be served with roasted maize.
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Cultured buttermilk
Commercially available cultured buttermilk is produced in the same way as yogurt, where fresh milk that has been pasteurized and homogenized, is then inoculated with a culture of Lactococcus lactis or Lactobacillus bulgaricus that produces the lactic acid that sours and thickens the milk, plus Leuconostoc citrovorum to enhance the buttery quality, so as to simulate the naturally occurring bacteria in the traditional product. The lactic acid is the product of the bacteria fermenting lactose, the primary sugar in milk. As the bacteria produce lactic acid, the pH of the milk decreases and casein, the primary milk protein, precipitates, causing the curdling or clabbering of milk, making cultured buttermilk thicker than plain milk. While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk is thinner than cultured buttermilk.
United States
Cultured buttermilk was first commercially introduced in the United States in the 1920s. It was widely used in baking, and as a beverage that became popular among immigrants from Eastern Europe. It reached peak annual sales of 517,000,000 kg (1.14×109 lb) in 1960. Consumption of buttermilk has declined since then, and annual sales in 2012 reached less than half that number. However, condensed buttermilk and dried buttermilk remain common in the food industry. Liquid buttermilk is used primarily in the commercial preparation of baked goods and cheese. Buttermilk solids are used in ice cream manufacturing, as well as being added to pancake mixes to make buttermilk pancakes. Home cooks can use powdered buttermilk to give baked goods a higher rise, add tang to dips, marinades, and rubs without thinning them out, and as a topping for fruits and vegetables. A niche use is as a creamer for coffee, which imparts a tang some enjoy.
Nutrition
Traditional buttermilk has only trace levels of fat – less than 0.5 percent. Modern commercially produced buttermilk made with whole milk is 88% water, 3% protein, 3% fat, and 5% carbohydrates (see table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz) (100 ml), whole buttermilk provides 62 calories of food energy, and is a moderate source of vitamin B12 (19% DV) and riboflavin (13% DV, table).
Acidified buttermilk
Acidified buttermilk or acidulated buttermilk is a substitute made by adding a food-grade acid, such as distilled white vinegar or lemon juice, to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes until it curdles. (About 15 millilitres (0.5 imperial fluid ounces; 0.5 US fluid ounces) of acid is added 200 to 250 ml (7 to 9 imp fl oz; 7 to 8 US fl oz) of milk.) Milk with any amount of fat can be used, but whole milk is usually used for baking.