Butter has a natural pale-yellow color but can range from deep yellow to white depending on feed used and the breed of cow the milk originates from. In the United States, the diet of cows varies from those in Europe and Oceania, and there are also breed differences. The level of the natural pigment carotene in milk, derived from the diet of cows, is the strongest determinant in whether butter appears yellow. For areas preferring butter that is more on the yellow side, coloring can be used.
At Idaho Milk Products, IdaPro Cream is pasteurized and shipped on the very day of milking. When fresh milk from our dairies arrives at our facility, the cream is separated from the whole milk and pasteurized and chilled to 36 degrees Fahrenheit before it’s loaded into tankers and shipped to our customers. Cream that is IdaPro fresh provides the highest quality key ingredient for butter manufacturers, full of fresh dairy flavor and free of off flavors and odors that result from “stale” or “aged” cream.