Effects of protein-polysaccharide interactions on the physical and textural characteristics of low-fat whipped cream

In this study, a protein-polysaccharide complex (sodium caseinate-carboxymethyl cellulose/locust bean gum) was added to a low-fat whipped cream and the physical properties and textural characteristics of the product were evaluated. Protein and polysaccharide proportions were optimized using the response surface methodology. Results showed that the proposed combination of stabilizers improved the physical and sensory characteristics of the confectionary low-fat cream as revealed by its enhanced apparent viscosity, firmness, average particle size, and overrun as well as its reduced drainage. No significant effects were observed on the color parameters. Sensory evaluation revealed that the most desirable treatment optimization of low-fat cream to contain 0.35% sodium caseinate, 0.15% carboxymethyl cellulose, and 0.15% locust bean gum. Practical applications The novelty of the present study is in using the novel protein-polysaccharide complex (sodium caseinate as a protein-based compound and locust bean gum and carboxymethyl cellulose as polysaccharide-based compounds) as a fat replacer. Our literature review revealed few studies conducted so far on the effects of protein-polysaccharide complexes on the properties of whipped cream. Moreover, previous studies conducted were focused on decreasing fat content only to 25-30 percentage. The present work, however, uses the sodium caseinate, locust bean gum, and carboxymethyl cellulose complex as a fat replacer and attempts to investigate and model the effects of this novel fat replacer on the qualitative characteristics of the 20%-fat whipped cream.