Effect of homogenisation and storage time on surface and rheology properties of whipping cream

The effects of homogenisation pressure and storage time on the droplet characteristics, surface protein concentration and rheological properties of whipping cream were investigated in this work. The droplet size distribution was in a range of 0.120–17.378 μm when homogenised once, and 0.0794–3.802 μm when homogenised twice. With the increase in homogenisation pressure, the mean droplet diameter shifted toward a smaller size and dispersion index. The homogenisation pressure change from 20 to 50 MPa resulted in a reduction of the surface protein concentration. As the time increased, the surface protein concentration declined, and a higher pressure led to its decline to a lesser extent. All the emulsions exhibited a shear-thinning and gel-like behaviour with the elastic modulus higher than the viscous modulus. When increasing the homogenisation pressure, the gel-like behaviour was more pronounced in both homogenisation systems. The Herschel–Bulkley model was able to describe well the rheological characteristics.

► Droplet size was decreased with the increase of homogenisation pressure.
► Surface protein concentration was decreased with the increase of homogenisation pressure.
► Emulsions exhibited a shear-thinning and gel-like behaviour.
► The emulsion was well fitted with Herschel–Bulkley model.