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The Diketone Produced when Butter Cultures are Steam Distilled with Ferric Chloride Added^*

Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa

ABSTRACT

The relationship of diacetyl to the desirable flavor of butter has been established by the work of various investigators. When a satisfactory butter culture is steam distilled and the distillate treated with suitable reagents, a brick red precipitate is formed that is commonly considered to be nickel dimethylglyoximate, a derivative of diacetyl. Much more precipitate is formed if ferric chloride is added to the butter culture before distillation, and this is interpreted as indicating the formation of relatively large amounts of diacetyl through an oxidation of acetylmethylcarbinol present in the culture.

Since certain homologues of diacetyl have been assumed to be valuable for the purpose of giving oleomargarine a desirable flavor and aroma (3) and also because these homologues are similar to diacetyl from various standpoints, it seemed advisable to determine whether or not the diketone obtained on distilling a butter culture with ferric chloride is diacetyl. The general procedure followed was to prepare the usual nickel salts from the distillates of butter cultures and then determine the nickel contents for comparison with the theoretical nickel content of nickel dimethylglyoximate.

^* Journal Paper No. J—267 of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 127.