Traditional ways to preserve cream involve processing it into butter, butter oil, or frozen storage. These technologies do not preserve the unique functionality of cream with respect to whipping or processing into butter.
In work conducted by US Researchers, microwave vacuum drying (MVD) was investigated as a method to manufacture dehydrated cream. Dehydrated cream microstructure, color, and free fat were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, colorimetry, and solvent extraction, respectively. Effects of homogenization on reconstituted cream microstructure and functionality were investigated using confocal laser scanning microscopy, color, particle sizing, and texture analysis of whipped cream. Reconstituted MVD cream whipped faster, and the whipped cream was more cohesive and firmer when 2-step homogenization at 3.5/7 MPa was used. Fat globules in reconstituted MVD cream were covered by phospholipids, explaining MVD cream’s similar functionality compared with pasteurized cream.
These results published in the Journal of Dairy Science may foster the development of novel shelf stable and highly functional dairy products using MVD.
