Plant-Based Emulsions as Dairy Cream Alternatives: Comparison of Viscoelastic Properties and Colloidal Stability of Various Model Products

Abstract

In the context of growing interest in plant-based food products for their potential health benefits and sustainability, this study investigates the effect of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids application on physico-chemical properties of various plant-based cream products, compared to lecithin application in rice cream. Rheological and textural parameters, colour profile, and colloidal stability were analysed. The application of mono- and diglycerides modified the creams’ viscoelastic behaviour, showing a decrease in viscoelasticity across the samples; although in oat–coconut cream resulted in a higher viscoelasticity, indicating the formation of a gel-like structure. Rice cream with lecithin emulsifier showed lower viscoelastic properties characterised by higher phase angle (tan δ). All samples behaved as pseudoplastic materials (with a flow behaviour index n h*) as a dominant spectral component. The colloidal stability, indicated by a stability index (SI), was determined as well.

Keywords

• cream products
• o/w emulsions
• recipe formulation
• emulsifier
• rheological behaviour
• viscoelastic moduli