Effects of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, gellan, and tara gum on physicochemical properties of non-dairy fat cream

This study examined the effects of hydrocolloid blends comprising of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC, 0.05–0.63%), tara gum (TG, 0–0.3%) and gellan gum (GG, 0–0.1%) on the physical properties, microstructure, and in-vitro digestion of whipped cream. Hydrocolloid addition significantly increased the viscosity of unwhipped cream (between 0.10 ± 0.00 and 8.04 ± 0.94 Pa.s), with synergistic interactions observed across all blends, likely attributed to the penetration of HPMC with GG networks, and entanglement between TG and HPMC chains. Whipped cream overrun inversely correlated with viscosity, while firmness increased with higher viscosity. Serum protein concentration and confocal microscopy suggested competitive adsorption between hydrocolloids and sodium caseinate at the oil-water interface, with HPMC effectively displacing proteins. Creaming stability indicated that HPMC-TG and higher concentrations of HPMC significantly improved stability. TG (0.3%) was able to suppress lipid digestibility with formation of networks, hindering digestive enzyme access to lipid droplets.