Superfine Nut Butter
Superfine Nut Butter is a nut butter milled to a particle size below the threshold at which the tongue detects grain, typically a D90 under 20 micrometres, giving a smooth, almost fluid texture unlike the granular body of standard nut butter.
Chemically it is the same material as any nut butter, a suspension of finely divided nut solids in the oil released from the kernel during grinding, with fat at 45 to 60 per cent and moisture close to one per cent. What separates the superfine grade is the milling train. Additional passes through a bead mill, three roll refiner or high pressure homogeniser reduce the solid particles until the paste behaves as a Newtonian fluid over a wider shear range, which improves pumping, dosing and coating behaviour on automatic equipment.
The finer particle size also increases the surface area of the solids, which raises viscosity slightly at a given fat level and speeds oxidation, so superfine grades are usually deaerated, antioxidant protected and nitrogen packed. Oil separation is more pronounced than in coarse butters unless a stabiliser is added, because the smaller particles settle less readily and release a clearer oil layer. The product is a smooth paste, firm at ambient temperature and freely pumpable at 35 to 45 degrees Celsius.
We source bulk Superfine Nut Butter from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Beijing. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Function
- Bakery ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Very smooth homogeneous paste, free from visible particles |
| Colour | Characteristic of species and roast level, uniform |
| Flavour and odour | Clean roasted nut, no rancid, burnt or musty note |
| Particle size, D90 | Not more than 20 micrometres |
| Grindometer reading | Not more than 25 micrometres |
| Total fat | 45.0 to 60.0%, per species |
| Moisture | Not more than 1.5% |
| Water activity | Not more than 0.45 |
| Peroxide value | Not more than 2.0 meq O2/kg fat |
| Free fatty acids as oleic | Not more than 1.0% |
| Oil separation after 30 days | Not more than 2% for stabilised grade |
| Aflatoxin B1 | Not more than 2 microgram/kg |
| Lead | Not more than 0.1 mg/kg |
| Total plate count | Not more than 5000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and mould | Not more than 100 cfu/g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The grade family is defined by nut species and by fineness, the latter quoted as a maximum particle size or a micrometre reading taken on a grindometer gauge. Confectionery superfine sits at or below 20 micrometres, beverage grade is finer still so the solids stay suspended in a drink without sediment, and bakery superfine is a little coarser where absolute smoothness is not critical.
Stabilised and unstabilised versions are both traded. Stabilised grades carry one to two per cent fully hydrogenated vegetable fat or a hard palm fraction, crystallised during cooling to hold the solids in suspension so no stirring is required before use. Sweetened, salted and plain versions exist, and organic and single origin lines are produced where the nut supply supports certification. Roast level is specified separately, since it drives colour and aroma independently of fineness.
Applications
- Filled chocolate and praline centres, where fineness below the palate threshold is required for a smooth eating quality
- Beverage bases for nut milks and ready to drink products, milled fine enough to resist sedimentation
- Wafer and biscuit sandwiching creams, where low particle size gives a clean melt and even spread
- Ice cream ripples and variegates, which stay smooth at freezer temperature because there are no large solids to feel gritty
- Injected bakery fillings for buns, croissants and doughnuts on high speed depositors
- Spreads and squeeze pack products in food service, where flow through a nozzle matters
- Nutritional and sports products, where the butter carries protein and fat in a texture that pumps into pouches
- Base for nut based mousses, ganache and dessert creams
- Coating and enrobing mass when thinned with additional fat or cocoa butter
China Manufacturers of Superfine Nut Butter
Top Superfine Nut Butter manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Superfine nut butter is a food, not a food additive, and has no E number of its own. Stabilisers, emulsifiers and antioxidants used in it are authorised in the European Union under Regulation 1333/2008 with assigned E numbers, and in the United States are used under generally recognised as safe status or specific food additive regulations. Where the product is labelled as peanut butter in the United States it must meet the standard of identity in 21 CFR 164.150, which sets a minimum peanut content and limits optional ingredients; butters from other nuts have no such standard and are labelled by common name.
Allergen labelling is mandatory in all major markets, with peanut treated separately from tree nuts. Cross contact control between species on a shared refining line is a routine audit point because the refining train is difficult to clean. Aflatoxin limits apply to incoming kernels, with the European Union setting maximum levels for aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxins in groundnuts and tree nuts and the United States applying an action level for total aflatoxins in food. Salmonella control is managed by validating the roast as a kill step and by protecting the downstream refining and filling area. Codex general standards for contaminants and for food additives apply in international trade.
Manufacturing Process
Cleaned and sorted kernels are blanched where a light colour is wanted, then roasted in a hot air or drum roaster to a defined endpoint and cooled quickly to stop colour development. The dried kernels are broken down in a pre grinder, which releases the oil and produces a coarse mass, and that mass then passes through the refining train that defines the product. A colloid mill takes the particle size down to roughly 50 micrometres, after which a bead mill, a three or five roll refiner, or a series of homogeniser passes reduces it below 20 micrometres.
Refining generates significant heat, so mills are jacketed and the paste is cooled between passes to protect flavour and limit oxidation. Antioxidant, salt and any sweetener are dosed during refining. The refined butter is deaerated under vacuum, since fine solids trap a great deal of air, and where a stabilised grade is being made the hard fat is melted in and the butter is passed through a scraped surface heat exchanger so the stabiliser crystallises in a fine, evenly distributed form. Filling is done warm under nitrogen, followed by controlled cooling that sets the fat network without allowing the solids to sediment.
