Is it ok to hold vegetable butter at ambient temperature before use?
Hi everyone,
In our production area we are using vegetable butter for making breads and rolls. The recommended storage condition of the butter is -18Degree Celsius. But the production staff says if they keep butter in freezer/chiller, they cant use for making breads as the butter will hard as rock.
Currently what they are doing is prior to production they keep the requires number of boxes in normal temperature. (back stock keeping in freezer only). Sometimes 2 boxes will be finished in one day, sometimes after opening will use for two days(left in normal temperature).
My question is it ok to keep the butter in normal temperature (not back stock). So far no problems or damage of the butter happened.
Please give me a practical suggestion regarding the use of butter like this.
What are the risks involved? Microbial, quality, or both? Contact your supplier and let them know of your conundrum to see if they have done any time/temperature studies on the butter or have any other suggestions for you.
Dear Sawad
in my opinion the storage recommendation of your supplier should be not only x month at -18 °C, but give different options at different temperatures for different times (we have 2 oer 3 option).
Regular fat is not as sensitive that you need frozen storage. Frozen storage is expensive and material is in a not "machinable".shape.
"Real" butter used in plant and in households has different storage recommendations, one is freezer condition (e.g. 4°C for x time).
We are a bakery and do not keep any fat frozen.
So, pls check with your supplier.
PS: In Germany and the EU it is not permitted to call a vegetable fat "butter".
Rgds
moskito
tanks for the support. I found from the food FDA food code and other internet searches that salted butter doesn't need to be store in chiller storage. If consuming or used within 2 -3 days its ok to keep in normal temperature. As per FDA salted butter is not included in TCS
https://www.fda.gov/...s/ucm545171.pdf
7.4. Time/temperature control Traditional butter and margarine have had a long history of safety without time/temperature control. The few problems that have occurred are related to modified products. As these traditional products have been modified by reducing the fat levels, increasing the water content, and reducing the salt levels, the built in microbiological inhibitory factors can also be expected to change. For example, a S. aureus enterotoxin outbreak has been associated with a whipped butter that had been temperature abused over an extended time period. Therefore, as these traditional product compositions are changed, other microbial inhibitors such as preservatives may have to be considered to enhance the safety of the finished product during its intended use. The need for time/temperature control depends on the pH and aw of the product, and on whether other preservatives have been added to the formulation.