Characterization of Fatty Acids and Nutritional Health Indicators of Ghee (Butteroil) Manufactured from Bovine Colostrum and Sweet Cream

Large-scale bovine colostrum production yields a significant byproduct called colostrum cream (CC). Colostrum cream is the byproduct of the industry where the colostrum is separated, and the colostrum milk is processed and converted into a colostrum formula and immunoglobulin colostrum powder. However, the disposal of CC poses sustainability challenges. CC composition differs significantly from milk fat and can be a valuable source of fatty acids (FAs) in the human diet. Ghee or butter oil manufactured from cream or butter is a product with almost 99.8% fat, with longer shelf life and a unique flavor. The study was planned to see the effect of FA profile and nutritional health indicators derived from FA profiles, such as the atherogenicity index (AI) and thrombogenicity index (TI) of CC, colostrum butter oil (CBO) samples, butter oil (BO), and sweet cream (SC), as they can significantly influence cardiovascular health. Three SC samples from a dairy plant and six CC samples were collected from a private company. BO and CBO samples were made in atmospheric conditions and analyzed for chemical composition and FA profiles in triplicates. SC and BO samples have higher levels of saturated and trans FAs. CC and CBO are richer in beneficial FAs. CBO offers a healthier profile with higher PUFA/SFAs and a lower AI and TI, which can be an essential source of FAs in the human diet and support sustainability.