Comparative Characterisation of Butter Produced from Cow, Sheep, and Goat Milk: Composition, Fatty Acid Profile, and Texture Properties

Butter texture is one of the key quality attributes affecting both technological performance and consumer perception. Although the effects of milk composition and fatty acid profile on butter properties have been widely investigated, studies integrating chemical composition, fatty acid profile, instrumental firmness, and sensory texture characteristics in butter produced from different animal species remain limited. This study evaluated the relationships among chemical composition, fatty acid profile, instrumental firmness, and sensory texture attributes of butter produced from cow, sheep, and goat milk. Sheep butter showed the highest total solids and fat contents (86.84 and 85.27 g/100 g), whereas cow and goat butter contained significantly higher water levels (approximately 17.9 g/100 g; p < 0.05). Cow butter was characterised by higher proportions of long-chain saturated fatty acids, particularly palmitic acid (32.39%), and the highest monounsaturated fatty acid content (24.11%). Although instrumental firmness did not differ significantly among butter types (p > 0.05), cow butter exhibited the highest mean firmness value (6.07 N) and the highest sensory firmness score. Goat butter contained elevated levels of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content (4.83%), which was associated with lower firmness (3.04 N). Sheep butter exhibited the highest stearic acid content (11.08%), together with greater spreadability and fatty mouthfeel. Principal component analysis provided an exploratory overview of the relationships among compositional, instrumental, and sensory variables and highlighted potential associations between fatty acid composition and butter texture characteristics. Under the conditions of this pilot-scale study, milk origin was associated with distinct compositional and textural profiles of butter.