Butterfat
The fat in milk, measured as a percentage, which gives cream, butter and ghee.
Also: milk fat, fat content
Butterfat is the natural fat of milk, carried in tiny globules that rise as cream when milk stands. It is measured as a percentage of the milk's weight and is one of the main things dairies pay for. Holstein Friesian milk usually holds a little under four per cent fat; Jersey and Guernsey milk usually five per cent or more, with larger fat globules and a yellow tint from carotene. Zebu breeds such as the Gir and Red Sindhi also give milk high in fat, though in smaller amounts. Fat is churned to make butter, and butter is clarified to make ghee. Feed, season and the stage of lactation all change the figure.