ABSTRACT
Cream is defi ned as the part of milk that is rich in fat which has been separated by skimming or otherwise (Anonymous 1995, 1996). Depending on the heat treatment applied, cream can be classifi ed as unheated (raw), pasteurized (at 63ºC for 30 min or 72ºC for 15 s), sterilized (at 108ºC for 45 min or equivalent) and ultra high temperature (UHT) sterilized (at >140ºC for 2 s). Based on the fat content of the end product and production methods, cream may also be divided into various categories such as single, double or heavy, half or light, whipping or whipped, light whipping cream and clotted cream (Anonymous 1993, 1996, 1999). In farmhouse cream production, classical thermization conditions (i.e., at 63-65ºC for <1 min) are not effective enough to reduce the initial bacterial counts of cream to safe limits. Unless the thermized cream is cooled immediately to <4ºC and processed within a short period of time, the quality losses in the end product are inevitable. Development of sour, rancid, bitter, stale, cheesy, yeasty and putrid taste, fl avor and odor by mainly Pseudomonas, Micrococci and yeasts are the common taints found in farm-produced cream (Wilbey 2002). Additionally, slime formation caused by coliforms and, less extensively, lactococci is frequently observed in farm-produced cream. Unless the cream is kept under improper conditions, the formation of gas by lactose-fermenting yeasts, and surface taints due to mold growth on the surface of the cream are rare cases. One of the major problems associated
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with farm-produced cream is sweet curdling caused by proteolytic enzymes released from aerobic sporeformers.
