Effect of fat globule size on the churnability of dairy cream

•Reduction of fat globule size in cream increased churning time and fat content in buttermilk.•NaCN-stabilised cream was more stable than Tween80-stabilised cream at similar fat globule size.•Below 0.3 μm of fat globule size, NaCN-stabilised cream was not churn-able up to 40 min of shearing.•Addition of Tween80 into normal and NaCN-stabilised creams drastically reduced churning time.

The churnability of commercial dairy cream as a function of fat globule size from micron to nanometric range (0.17-3.50 μm) was investigated. To achieve the lower fat globule size with increased interfacial area various amounts of sodium caseinate (NaCN) (0.15-4.9 wt%) or Tween 80 (0.25-1 wt%) were added to the cream. Under similar microfluidization and churning conditions, both fat globule size and emulsifier type had a significant influence on the churning time and proportion of fat in buttermilk. In general, churning time and buttermilk fat content were increased above 3.5 min and 4.4% fat (for untreated fat globule size), respectively with decreasing average fat globule size irrespective of the type of emulsifier used. The addition of Tween 80 reduced the churning time significantly and also decreased the fat content of buttermilk as compared to NaCN added cream.

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