Method of Manufacturing Whipping Cream

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing whipping cream. The term "whipping" as used herein means stirring fine, numerous air bubbles into the intended system.

Heretofore, whipping cream was prepared by stirring fresh cream (which cream is the result of centrifuging animal milk and comprises products rich in fat content), margerine, or a combination of these materials with sugar, etc. These products, however, are generally poor in flavor, and are much too costly for widespread commercial appeal. Because of their unsatisfactory whipping property, other properties related thereto, such as for example condition of air bubbles being contained, the property of retaining the whipped state, etc, are also not satisfactory. Moreover, due to the excessive content of fats, or small content of protein the taste attributable to these products is too thick for most purposes. Moreover, there are other defects.

The present invention aims to eliminate or reduce the foregoing and other shortcomings and disadvantages of the prior art.

Briefly, the invention encompasses a method of preparing whipping cream and comprises the steps of at least partially removing low molecular weight matter or material from animal milk with a semipermeable membrane or a molecular sieve capable of screening substances up to a maximum of 10,000 molecular weight to produce a non-fat solid content of from 14.5 to 30 weight percent, then homogeneously mixing 50 to 70 parts by weight of the animal milk thus obtained and 50 to 15 parts by weight of an oil or fat, and emulsifying the mixture.

The removal of low molecular weight substances may be done using a pressure higher than the osmotic pressure of the animal milk-water system using a semipermeable membrane or a molecular sieve. Advantageously, the oil or fat added to the animal milk having the low molecular weight material removed therefrom, may be animal or vegetable in origin. Moreover, depending upon the results desired, the molecular size of the membrane or sieve may be such as to pass particles less than 5,000 molecular weight and for others less than 300 molecular weight.

Other objects, features and advantageous results and advantages may be obtained from the detailed description set forth hereinbelow.

The single FIGURE depicts a chart plotting data from three experiments showing the whipped state retaining properties of prior art and the inventive products.

The single FIGURE of the drawing, as will be explained hereinafter, shows the holding ability of shape of whipped creams with passage of time of prior art and inventive products. Experiment 3, showing the invention, is contrasted with Experiments 1 and 2, as control. Table 4 shows the summary of Experiments 1, 2 and 3.

Animal milk may include, for example, cow's milk, goat's milk, etc. Either animal milk having fat removed therefrom, or animal milk containing fat may be used, with the former being preferred. Milk solids may comprise milk proteins, lactose, ash, etc. The foregoing and other animal milks may be used singly or in combination of 2 or more kinds.

For oils and fats, either those of animal or vegetable origin may be used. It is preferred that their melting points (capillary melting points) be about 40.degree. to -5.degree.C. As used in the specification and claims, the terms oils and fats, may be the fats and oils themselves, or preparations containing a major proportion of oils or fats and a minor proportion of other substances, such as for example, water, salts, seasonings, etc. The latter preparations may include, for example, shortening oils, margerines, butter, etc. However, these fats, oils or preparations should preferably be tasteless and odorless and have a milk-like flavor. They may be used singly or in combination of two or more kinds of substances.

In working the present invention, part or most of the substances in animal milk having molecular weights smaller than 10,000 are removed by using a semipermeable membrane or a molecular sieve. For example, animal milk containing solids to the same degree as that of animal milk, is held in contact with water through the interposition of a semipermeable membrane. There is applied to the milk phase of the system, a pressure higher than the osmotic pressure of the system. Lactose, ash and other substances which are of low molecular weight (for example; lactose, 352; tristearin, 891; etc) may be transferred to the water phase. Instead of employing a semipermeable membrane, low molecular weight components may be screened and removed by pouring animal milk through a molecular sieve, for example, SEPHADEX G-50 (manufactured by Pharmacia Fine Chemicals AB, Sweden). The semipermeable membrane and molecular sieve should be selected to remove molecules having molecular weights of up to 10,000 maximum. In some cases, depending upon the results desired, those effective for separating molecular weights up to 5,000 maximum may be used. In other cases, those up to 300 maximum may be used. The choice of sizes may be made by the desired quality of the whipping cream and the final whipped product desired.

In this way, the non-fat solids content of the animal milk was concentrated to about 14.5 to 30 weight percent. Amounts above and below these figures are not optimal and are not preferred.

Table 1 shown below gives an example of the chemical analysis of the product obtained by making use of a semipermeable membrane.

The following conditions were employed to separate the low molecular weight substances from animal milk. The dialysis used a water-animal milk system with a semipermeable membrane therebetween. The pressure was applied to the milk phase.

The low molecular weight materials were removed to the degree shown in above Table 1.

The product obtained by the above dialysis, that is the animal milk with c8 the low molecular weight material partially or mostly removed, was then mixed in an amount of 50 to 70 parts by weight with 50 to 15 parts by weight of an oil or fat, and then homogenized and emulsified. 57

In this manner, the desired whipping cream was obtained. This product was suitable for whipping by itself or with the addition of appropriate amounts of sugar, perfumery, etc.

The present invention produced many surprising and outstanding results, the major ones of which are discussed hereinbelow.

As compared with conventional prior art products, in which fresh cream only is used and in which the fat content is about 50 to 52 weight percent, the fat content of this inventive product is surprisingly small, being about 35 to about 48 weight percent at a maximu. Furthermore, the content of proteins, lactose, ash, etc are high, in this inventive product. Explaining in detail, the content of protein in the obtained product is relatively increased against the animal milks used as raw material, and the absolute content of lactose, ash, etc, are increased relatively against the protein so obtained. Accordingly, the taste of products produced by the inventive method is not unpleasantly thick as are prior art products. In fact, advantageously, the inventive product is pleasantly light in taste, thus increasing its commercial acceptability.

The content of milk solids in the inventive product is very high because during removal of low molecular weight substances, e.g. ash, lactose, etc, by for example the counter penetration method, separation of high molecular weight substances and removal of water occur naturally at the same time. The obtained product is thus concentrated.

The two foregoing advantages are illustrated in the below Table 2, in which measurements were made from actual examples.

The inventive product also excels in whipping property and the property of retaining the whipped state. Thus, the inventive product is more attractive commercially than prior art products, especially in the whipped state. The reason for this property, although one cannot say for absolute certainty, is believed to be due to the fact that the protein content of the inventive product is very high.

In addition, the inventive product has a gentle and excellent flavor. This is believed to be due to the fact that most of the ash in animal milk is removed by the dialysing treatment thereof. For example about 35 to 40 weight percent of the total ash is removed.

The foregoing and other aspects, principles, features, objects and advantages of the invention are further illustrated by the following experiments and examples, which are not to be construed in any limiting sense.

A whipped cream was obtained by whipping natural cream, separated from milk, of a fat content of 45 to 50 weight percent.

A non-dairy cream was obtained by mixing cow's milk having fat removed therefrom and natural oil in a ratio of 1:1 by weight. The cow's milk was added to colza oil followed by emulisifying the system in the presence of sucrose fatty acid ester of 1.3 wt.% and at 60 to 70.degree.C.

A whipping cream was obtained by adding 35 parts by weight of vegetable oil and 0.4 parts by weight of lecithin to 64.6 parts by weight of the product obtained by dialysing non-fat milk, using a semipermeable membrane and under conditions as set forth in Table 1 above, and then mixing, emulsifying and homogenizing at about 70.degree.C.

Various properties of the products produced by the foregoing experiments were qualitatively measured and the results thereof are shown in below Table 3.

The composition of test materials obtained from the above experiments is shown below in Table 4.

In the drawing, the single FIGURE depicts a chart showing the shape holding properties of the products obtained from Experiments 1, 2 and 3, as measured against time and under conditions of 20.degree.C temperature and 60 wt.% humidity.

A further example of an embodiment of this invention is provided hereinafter.

Non-fat milk was dialyzed at 5 atmospheres for 5 hours using as the semipermeable membrane, a film (having a thickness of 100.mu., but the active part producing action of semipermeable membrane being 0.2.mu. thick) formed by drying and heating, in air, cellulose acetate dissolved in an organic solvent. Then, 35 parts by weight of palm kernel oil and 0.4 parts by weight of lecithin were added to 64.6 parts by weight of the product obtained by the dialysis treatment, namely, the milk having removed therefrom low molecular weight substances, and mixed, emulsified and homogenized at about 70.degree.C.

The properties and components of the resultant whipping cream are shown in below Table 5.

The product thus produced was found to be excellent both in flavor and ability to retain the whipped state

The foregoing description is for purposes of illustrating the principles of the invention. Numerous variations and modifications thereof would be apparent to the worker skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications are to be considered to be within the spirit and scope of this invention.