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Butterfat is a triglyceride formed from fatty acids such as myristic, palmitic and oleic acids. Milk contains several different carbohydrates, including lactose, glucose, galactose and other oligosaccharides. The lactose gives milk its sweet taste and contributes approximately 40% of the calories in whole cow's milk.

Lactones are internally formed cyclic esters of γ- and δ-hydroxy acids. Two macrocyclic lactones, cyclopentadecanolide and 15-pentadec-11/12-enolide, have odors similar to those of the macrocyclic ketones of animal origin muscone and civetone.

Diacetyl is a yellow liquid with an intensely buttery flavor. Diacetyl occurs naturally in alcoholic beverages and some cheeses. It arises naturally as a byproduct of fermentation.

Across the 15 types of milk analysed, the four substances with the highest flavor contribution in all species were 2,3-butanedione, trimethylamine, isophorone and acetaldehyde. In the same analysis, human milk contained high levels of esters, particularly fatty acid ethyl esters, which contribute to its unique flavor.

Pasteurized cow's milk eventually spoils and assumes an unpleasant odor. In raw milk, the presence of lactic acid-producing bacteria, under suitable conditions, ferments the lactose present to lactic acid.

Lactic acid takes its name from its original isolation from soured milk (Latin: lac, lactis). The name lactone was coined in 1844 by the French chemist Théophile-Jules Pelouze, who first obtained it as a derivative of lactic acid. Thousands of years ago, a chance mutation spread in human populations in northwestern Europe that enabled the production of lactase in adulthood.

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Related: Aldron · Ambretone · Ambrette Musk Mallow · Ambrettolide Natural Musk · Ambrinol · Coral Reef · Cyclopentadecanolide · Exaltolide