Everything you need to know about milk and dairy products, the different steps involved in processing them, their diversity and health benefits. Also, practical information such as how to read food labels, make homemade dairy products,…Dairy Products website
All about how CNIEL serves the French dairy industry. The organization addresses a wide range of issues, from the dairy economy, international business and promotion, to technology and scientific research. Its work is aimed at helping dairy producers and processors to anticipate market developments and build a strong future.Cniel Infos website
Cream, whether single or double, is the least fatty and calorific of all types of fats, with two to three times less than fat than oil or butter! Cream is one of the key ingredients in French cuisine, bringing flavour and a soft consistency to dishes and accompanying sauces.
The French are not big consumers of cream!
Collect milk
Pipes take the milk to a refrigerated
tank.
Chill the milk to prevent bacteria from developing and store milk in the right conditions
Guarantee milk quality
Transport milk from the farm to the dairy
The cold chain is maintained
Guarantee product quality
Samples are sent to laboratories to detect any traces of antibiotics or other substances that could negatively impact manufacturing
Transfer milk from the refrigerated tanker to the factory tank for storage before processing
The milk is transferred from the tanker to the storage tank by a system of pipes.
Thermal preprocessing is possible before storage, to reduce the number of undesirable micro-organisms and improve the shelf life of milk.
The cold chain is maintained.
Guarantee product quality
Adjust the fat content
This process ensures homogeneous fat content for each category of dairy product.
Package the cream for sale
The cold chain is maintained.
Collect milk
Pipes take the milk to a refrigerated
tank.
Chill the milk to prevent bacteria from developing and store milk in the right conditions
Guarantee milk quality
Transport milk from the farm to the dairy
The cold chain is maintained
Guarantee product quality
Samples are sent to laboratories to detect any traces of antibiotics or other substances that could negatively impact manufacturing
Transfer milk from the refrigerated tanker to the factory tank for storage before processing
The milk is transferred from the tanker to the storage tank by a system of pipes.
Thermal preprocessing is possible before storage, to reduce the number of undesirable micro-organisms and improve the shelf life of milk.
The cold chain is maintained.
Guarantee product quality
Adjust the fat content
This process ensures homogeneous fat content for each category of dairy product.
Eliminate micro-organisms that are harmful for humans.
Cream is heated to 72°C for 15 seconds by a pasteurizer.
Elimination of pathogens
Bring the cream to an ideal temperature for inoculation
Facilitate the product’s technological transformation and develop flavours
Package the milk to be sold
Collect milk
Pipes take the milk to a refrigerated
tank.
Chill the milk to prevent bacteria from developing and store milk in the right conditions
Guarantee milk quality
Transport milk from the farm to the dairy
The cold chain is maintained
Guarantee product quality
Samples are sent to laboratories to detect any traces of antibiotics or other substances that could negatively impact manufacturing
Transfer milk from the refrigerated tanker to the factory tank for storage before processing
The milk is transferred from the tanker to the storage tank by a system of pipes.
Thermal preprocessing is possible before storage, to reduce the number of undesirable micro-organisms and improve the shelf life of milk.
The cold chain is maintained.
Guarantee product quality
Adjust the fat content
This process ensures homogeneous fat content for each category of dairy product.
Ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization of cream
145°C steam is injected for 2-3 seconds.
Products are sterilized without impacting their taste or nutritional properties.
Ensure that fat is well distributed in cream
Fat globules are broken into very fine particles using high pressure. The fat is distributed evenly throughout the milk and does not rise to the surface.
Good product consistency
Chill liquid cream and keep it cool
Package liquid cream for sale
French law of 29 June 1934
French law (29 June 1934) bans the addition of any other fat.
According to current regulation (decree of 23 April 1980), only milk containing at least 30% fat can be labelled “cream”.
Milk containing 12-30 g of fat per 100 g can use the label “low-fat cream”. Cream and low-fat cream always undergo heat treatment (pasteurization or sterilization), with the exception of raw cream.
“Fresh cream” or “low-fat fresh cream” applies to cream that is pasteurized and then packaged on the production site within 24 hours. These labels therefore cannot be used for sterilized creams.
When cream or low-fat cream contains authorized added products, the fat content is calculated on the dairy ingredients.
Legislation authorizes the addition of very small quantities of certain products to cream: sucrose (up to 15%), lactic acid fermenting bacteria and stabilizers (0.5%).
The label “fresh cream” means that the cream has been pasteurized: there is no obligation to mark “pasteurized”. Sterilized creams cannot be called “fresh cream”.
The ingredients of cream
Several criteria are used to distinguish different types of cream: conservation treatments, fat content and consistency (liquid or thick).
Differences in these criteria produce a wide range of products.
Raw cream
The cream used by our grandparents!
Neither pasteurized nor sterilized, this cream is the direct product of skimming, chilled and stored at 6°C. It is liquid for the first few days, sweet and with a higher fat content than other creams. “Raw” must be mentioned in labelling.
Pasteurized fresh single cream
Liquid and sweet, this cream has not been fermented but is pasteurized. It is more fragile than sterilized milk. Restaurant chefs like this cream for its ability to expand (once beaten, it becomes light and voluminous like Chantilly cream).
Pasteurized fresh double cream
Matured cream. After pasteurization, it is cooled to 6-7°C then inoculated with lactic ferments from very aromatic, highly acid creams. The cream becomes thick and acidic with a stronger flavour.
Sterilized liquid cream
Once packaged, raw cream is sterilized at 115°C for 15-20 minutes, then cooled. Sterilization does not enable fermentation so the cream remains liquid. Since the process induces a cooked or caramel flavour, UHT cream is preferred to this cream.
UHT cream
Raw cream is sterilized at 145-150°C for two seconds, then cooled rapidly.
Its nutritional, taste and functional properties are preserved.
Low-fat cream
This cream is obtained by regulating the cream separator to 12-30% fat content. This is marked on packaging.
It is liquid or thick (if fermented and cultured), pasteurized or matured.
Whipped cream and low-fat whipped cream
These creams contain at least 75% cream or low-fat cream. Authorized additions include sucrose (up to 15%), lactic acid fermenting bacteria, natural flavourings, stabilizers and milk proteins. The expansion ratio is < 3.5.
Chantilly cream (sweetened whipped cream)
Sweetened whipped cream contains at least 30% fat. The only authorized additions are sucrose (semi-white, white or refined white sugar) and possibly natural flavourings.
Cream packed under pressure
This cream has a similar composition to whipping cream (apart from the addition of stabilizers, limited to 0.1%). It is pasteurized or sterilized.
An inert gas injected into the packaging causes the cream to expand, increasing the volume by up to 80%.
Isigny and Bresse cream
These are thick pasteurized fresh creams, known for their refinement.
2 Designated Place of Origin creams are produced in two regions, Isigny (Manche) and Bresse, following strict manufacturing criteria.
Isigny cream contains 35-40% fat (decree of 30 June 1986). Bresse cream contains at least 36% fat (decree of 26 June 2012).
Sour cream
This cream is obtained by bacterial fermentation. It is very popular in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia (where is is known as “smitane”) and English-speaking countries.
It accompanies fish, bortsch, stuffed cabbage, etc. Lemon juice added to cream gives a similar taste.
Cream may be used as a dairy ingredient in the agrifood industry. It is incorporated into fresh dairy products, cheeses, cakes and pastries, ice creams, chocolates, sauces and biscuits. It generally brings flavour and texture to recipes.
Cream is rich in water (62%) and provides vitamins (A and D in the case of whole cream).
With 30% fat and about 300 kcal per 100 g, cream is the least fatty and calorific or all fats!
Cream (which contains at least 30% fat and is sometimes called whole cream) is distinguished from low-fat cream (at least 12% fat).
