Imported European Creams Could Rescue Premium Fermented Butter Production

South Korean producers of premium fermented butter may have a way out of a stubborn supply problem. A study published in Food Science and Biotechnology tested whether unprocessed creams imported from Spain and Italy could stand in for domestic cream in the manufacture of cultured butter, and the answer appears to be yes, with some distinctive trade-offs in color, fat composition, and aroma.

The research, led by Eun-Ae Jeong and Myong-Soo Chung, addressed shortages in domestically manufactured cream by evaluating pasture-derived creams as alternative raw materials. The butter was fermented with a mixed starter culture containing Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus helveticus, the workhorse bacteria behind the tangy, aromatic character of cultured butter.

Fermentation did its job quickly and cleanly. The pH of the cream dropped rapidly from 6.61 to 4.76, a level of acidification that stopped short of disturbing the stability of the lipid framework, meaning the fat structure that gives butter its body remained intact throughout the process.

Microbial analysis using next-generation sequencing metagenomics showed that the added starter culture achieved ecological dominance of 99.76 percent, effectively crowding out contaminant organisms. Electronic-nose profiling of the volatile compounds confirmed the practical consequence: the fermentation increased key flavor biomarkers, including butan-2-one, 2,3-pentanedione, and ethyl butyrate, the molecules largely responsible for the desirable buttery and fruity notes.

Where the cream came from mattered, and visibly so. Butter made from Spanish cream showed significantly elevated yellowness, with a b* value of 24.71 ± 0.43 compared with 13.23 ± 0.31 for the domestic control. The researchers attribute this color difference to beta-carotene derived from pasture feeding, a pigment that carries through from grass to cream to finished butter.

Fatty acid profiles also diverged by origin. Spanish butter was enriched in palmitic acid (C16:0), a major saturated fatty acid in milk fat. In contrast, grain-fed domestic butter showed the highest content of monounsaturated fatty acids, reflecting the different diets of the animals supplying the milk.

The most striking finding concerned the Italian cream. Butter made from the Italian matrix selectively increased the abundance of Lactobacillus, which reached 11.21 percent compared with 5.88 percent in the other samples. That shift in the microbial balance had an aromatic payoff: the Italian butter hyperaccumulated 2,3-pentanedione, reaching 1,157 ± 35 versus 388 ± 14, roughly a threefold difference in a compound prized for its creamy, caramel-like aroma.

The authors conclude that imported European creams are biochemically viable alternatives for premium fermented butter production. Beyond simply resolving domestic supply deficits, the imported creams diversify the market with unique visual, structural, and aromatic profiles, meaning the substitutions would not merely replicate the domestic product but offer distinct versions of it.

For an industry built on a starter-driven fermentation, the results suggest that raw material geography is not a limitation but a design variable. Spanish cream yields a deeply yellow, palmitic-acid-rich butter; Italian cream steers the microbial ecology toward Lactobacillus and a surge of 2,3-pentanedione; and domestic grain-fed cream retains its own monounsaturated signature. Producers seeking premium positioning could, in principle, choose the cream origin that delivers the profile they want to sell.

Subject of Research: Testing imported Spanish and Italian creams as substitutes for domestic cream in premium fermented butter production

Article Title: Feasibility of using imported unprocessed creams as substitutes for domestic cream based on the quality, fatty acid, and volatile flavor profiles of fermented butter

Article References: Jeong, E.-A., & Chung, M.-S. (2026). Feasibility of using imported unprocessed creams as substitutes for domestic cream based on the quality, fatty acid, and volatile flavor profiles of fermented butter. Food Science and Biotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-026-02364-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10068-026-02364-w

Keywords: fermented butter, imported cream, Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus helveticus, fatty acid profile, volatile flavor compounds, beta-carotene, 2,3-pentanedione, metagenomics, food science, Feasibility, imported