Cream

Cream does not come from a plant, but from cows — it is produced from the fatty top layer of milk. On a farm farmers milk the cows and separate the cream from the milk. In the past cream simply settled on top (this was called 'skimming'), today it is usually removed quickly in a machine, the separator. In Germany and worldwide there are many farms with dairy cows. Popular milk regions in Germany include Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. Internationally, large milk producers are countries such as EU member states, the USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Although it is better to speak of 'rearing and production areas' rather than 'cultivation', it helps to know: cream is available almost everywhere because milk and cream are produced daily and delivered in the cold chain. In supermarkets, organic shops, direct farm sales or at weekly markets you can find fresh cream. There are also long-life variants that can remain without refrigeration for longer (more on that later).

Some terms can be confusing: pasteurized means briefly heated so that fewer germs are present; UHT (or H-cream) is longer-lasting due to higher heat. 'Gechroma' is not a technical word – here simple words apply: fresh cream from the chilled section and long-life cream from the pantry shelf.

In short: you can get cream today almost everywhere and in many variants — from very high-fat to light, from fresh to long-life, and even plant-based. Which type you choose depends on whether you want to whip it, cook with it or add it to coffee. Each kind has its own taste and use, so you can find the right cream for your recipe.

Cream is the fat-rich fraction of milk that is produced naturally during separation or obtained industrially. Technically, cream is an oil-in-water emulsion, in which milk fat is distributed as fat globules in an aqueous phase. It is a widely used food ingredient with numerous variants that differ in fat content, processing and bacterial fermentation.

Composition and nutritional values: Typical components are milk fat (as triacylglycerides), milk proteins (mainly caseins and serum proteins), milk sugar (lactose) as well as water-soluble vitamins and minerals. Fat content varies by product: coffee cream is often about 10–15% fat, cooking cream and Crème fraîche around 15–30%, whipping cream usually ≥ 30%. Accordingly, calorie values are roughly between 120 kcal/100 g (lighter variants) and 400 kcal/100 g (very high-fat products). Milk fat consists predominantly of saturated fatty acids (typically around 60–70%), monounsaturated fatty acids (~20–30%) and a small proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Physicochemical properties: The fat globules in cream are surrounded by a complex membrane of phospholipids, proteins and glycolipids (the Milk Fat Globule Membrane, MFGM) which stabilizes the emulsion. Industrial processes like homogenization reduce globule size, increase stability and change wetting properties. When whipped, air is incorporated; partial coalescence and the formation of a fat network lead to stabilization of the foam. Temperature and fat crystallization critically influence foam stability.

Processing and variants:

Shelf life and microbiological aspects: Pasteurized cream is sensitive to contamination and must be stored chilled. Unpasteurized or poorly chilled cream can be affected by pathogens like Listeria or by spoilage organisms. Lipolytic enzymes and oxidative processes can lead to rancidity defects; a more saturated composition reduces oxidation susceptibility compared to vegetable oils.

Nutritional and health aspects: Cream provides concentrated energy, fat-soluble vitamins (especially vitamin A) and calcium. Because of the high proportion of saturated fatty acids and the dense energy content, it should be used in moderation as part of a balanced diet. People with a milk allergy react to milk proteins, and with lactose intolerance lactose-containing cream products can cause complaints; fermented variants tend to contain less available lactose.

Cream is thus a technically versatile product with clear physicochemical foundations that determine processing, stability and nutrition-relevant properties. Its use in the kitchen and food industry is based on these functional properties as well as on sensory criteria such as texture, taste and mouthfeel.