Cream is a common dairy product widely used in baking, desserts, sauces, and other food production, and is in high demand in the market. So what are the ingredients of cream? Let's find out below.
What are the ingredients of cream?
Cream is divided into two main categories: vegetable cream and animal cream . Vegetable cream is made from extracts from plants such as soybeans, while animal cream is mainly made from milk , and is produced by separating the fat from milk.
What is the difference between animal-based cream and vegetable-based cream?
1. Main characteristics
Animal-based cream is a high-concentration cream made by separating fat from fresh milk. It is liquid, contains no pigments or chemical stabilizers, and its nutritional value falls between that of whole milk and butter , making it more natural and healthier for the human body. Vegetable-based cream, also known as margarine, contains no dairy products . It is primarily composed of vegetable fats and proteins, with added emulsifiers, stabilizers, proteins, sugar, salt, pigments, flavorings, and other auxiliary ingredients, processed using a special technique.
2. Appearance and odor
Since vegetable cream is not a dairy product, it doesn't smell like milk. Its aroma mainly comes from added flavorings and fragrances. It is mostly bright white in color, whiter than animal cream.
3. Difficulty in preservation
Compared to vegetable-based cream, animal-based cream is much more difficult to store. Generally, animal-based cream is stored in sealed containers under refrigeration, and its temperature requirements are very strict—it cannot be too high or too low—and its shelf life is also shorter than that of vegetable-based cream.
4. Price differences
The price difference between vegetable cream and animal cream is huge; some animal creams are more than twice the price of vegetable cream.
5. Different taste
Animal-based cream has a light and delicate texture with a rich, natural milky flavor. Vegetable-based cream, on the other hand, is thicker, sweeter, and stickier, lacking a smooth texture.
