1. Introduction
Fermented cream, also known as sour cream, is a kind of dairy product with a unique acid flavor, which is made by fermenting pasteurized cream using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that can produce lactic acid [
1,
2]. Fermentation with LAB is a processing method, which can extend shelf life and develop the characteristic flavor and texture of dairy products. In addition, lactic acid produced can inhibit the growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, contributing to the preservation of cultured dairy products [
3,
4]. Sour creams can be classified into four groups based on their fat content: Full-fat sour cream (fat ≥18%), light sour cream (fat ≤9%), low-fat sour cream (fat ≤6%), and non-fat sour cream (fat ≤1%) [
5,
6].
Traditional sour cream is popular in some countries, including Mexico, North America, and Eastern Europe, because of its aromatic taste and creamy texture [
6]. Several traditionally fermented cream types are produced worldwide, such as
Créme Fraiche in France,
Crema Espesa in Mexico,
Pomazánkové Máslo in Czech Republic, traditional sour cream in Ukraine, and “Suero Costeño” in Colombia [
7]. Suero costeño is an artisanal soured cream produced in the Northern-Caribbean coast of Colombia, mostly in the rural population in the departments of Córdoba, Sucre, and Bolívar, and represents a gastronomic heritage of Colombian cuisine [
8]. “Suero costeño” can be added to various food items, such as rice, stews, and sauces, and can also be used in dips, as a base in spreads on fried products, bread and some cookies.
“Suero costeño” is usually obtained by natural fermentation of raw cow's milk at room temperature (~30 °C), which is initiated through continuous reutilization of fermentation containers, such as calabash or plastic vessels, which contain indigenous microbial flora. During fermentation a characteristic liquid-solid two-phase system is formed; the whey is removed and the cream-like thicker phase is mixed and salted. The final product is an acidic, soured, and salty fermented milk with a creamy consistency. The time required for obtaining “suero costeño” depends on the desired viscosity [
8,
9,
10]. This procedure varies according to the area (municipalities or departments) where the “suero costeño” is made. It should be noted that the physicochemical and rheological characteristics depend on the type of raw materials used (whole milk or milk cream) and the processing method.
Several authors have reported poor hygienic-sanitary conditions in the elaboration of “suero costeño” finding the presence of elevated numbers of enterobacteria, coliforms, and
staphylococci [
11,
12]. Manufacturing standardization, through the utilization of pasteurized milk and commercial dairy cultures, would reduce the sanitary problem but, unfortunately, this will lead to a reduction of the typical sensorial properties of “suero costeño” [
9].
Dairy rheology is important for dairy products stability, process design, and quality control, it also provides information on product structure. The rheological behavior of milk products is complex and strongly dependent on the concentration and physical state of the dispersed phases. Milk and cream usually exhibit Newtonian behavior when products are fresh. The deviation from Newtonian behavior increases as fat and total solid contents increase [
13,
14,
15]. The objective of this study was to characterize the physicochemical and rheological properties of artisanal “suero costeño” produced in department of Córdoba-Colombia.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
Artisanal “suero costeño” was supplied by producers located in the department of Córdoba (Colombia), specifically in the municipalities of Ciénaga de Oro (9 artisanal producer), Cereté (5 artisanal producer), San Pelayo (4 artisanal producer), Chinú (4 artisanal producer), Sahagún (4 artisanal producer), Lorica (4 artisanal producer), and Montería (2 artisanal producer). The samples were transported to the laboratory in ice boxes and stored at 4°C.
2.2. Physicochemical Analyses
The physicochemical analysis of the “suero costeño” was determined according to the Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, American Public Health Association (APHA) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Samples were analyzed for protein using the Kjeldahl method (AOAC 920.85), fat by the Soxhlet method (AOAC 920.85), crude fiber (AOAC 960.52), moisture content by the loss of mass of samples in an oven heated at 102 ± 2 °C (AOAC 925.10), ash was determined gravimetrically for heated at 550 °C in a muffle furnace (AOAC 925.10), carbohydrates (AOAC 931.02). chlorides (APHA 15.051), pH (AOAC 981.12), and acidity (ISO/TS 22113).
2.3. Rheological Behavior of “Suero Costeño”
Rheological behavior was measured using the method described by Andrade
et al. [
16] with slight modifications. 100 mL of the “suero costeño” was taken and placed in viscometer VL210003 (FungiLab) with spindle L-4, varying the rotation speed of 1 to 100 rpm in ascending and then in descending form of 100 to 1 rpm. The maximum rotation speed (100 rpm) was maintained for two minutes. The test was performed at a temperature of 25 °C. The rheological behavior was determined using Ostwald-de-Waele or power-law model (Eq. 1).
where η
app is the apparent viscosity (Pa s),
K is the consistency coefficient (Pa s
n),γ is shear rate (s
-1), and
n is the flow behavior index (dimensionless).
The shear rate was obtained by the rotation speed (N, rpm), according to equation 2.
Thixotropic properties of “suero costeño” were determined from the area between the upward and downward curves (Eq. 3).
where
Kasc and
Kdesc are the consistency coefficient upward and downward, respectively; and
nasc and
ndesc are the flow behavior index upward and downward, respectively.
2.4. Statistical Analysis
One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test were performed using JMP Pro 17 software (SAS Institute, NC, USA) to compare significant differences between samples, with a significance level of 5%. All the data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation of triplicate determinations.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Physicochemical Analyses
Table 1 shows the values of the physicochemical properties of the “Suero costeño” produced in the department of Córdoba (Colombia). These values are similar to those reported for “suero costeño” produced in Montería [
8] and in the department of Bolivar [
17], commercial sour creams in the United States [
18], Amasi (sour milk from Zulus in South Africa) [
19], and Cretan sour cream Staka [
7]. According to the fat content, the “suero costeño” evaluated can be classified into full-fat sour cream (fat ≥18%) and light sour cream (fat ≤9%). However, the ones produced in Montería, and some of Chinú (Ch2), Cereté (C3), and Sahagun (S1) can be considered low-fat sour cream (fat ≤6%). This variability in the fat content is due to the fact that in the production of “suero costeño” some producers use whole milk as raw material and others use cream; in addition to the amount of whey that is eliminated. Nevertheless, these values are lower than sour creams and fermented dairy products made in the Balkan countries that have fat contents between 30 and 46%, and even
kajmak contains about 60% of fat, depending on the degree of whey removal [
1,
7,
20].
ANOVA shows that there are significant differences between the physicochemical characteristics of the artisanal “suero costeño” produced by the different producers of the department of Córdoba-Colombia. The above is due to the raw materials used and the processing method. However, this artisanal product has several similarities with various traditional fermented dairy products from other continents that are made from cow's milk or small dairy animals (reindeer and mithum). Reindeer sour cream is obtained from milk fermented for a short time with lactic acid bacteria, and its nutritional composition is 10.60% fat, 6.50% protein, 15.10% carbohydrates, and 0.70% ash. Curd or cottage cheese is a nonliquid white fermented mithun milk product traditional to Eastern, and Northern Europe. It is made by fermenting milk and the subsequent removal of whey; however, the final mixing that is applied to the “suero costeño” is not carried out. Curd contains 8.9% fat, and 6.5% protein [
21]. These products have similar physicochemical properties (fat, protein) to the “suero costeño” produced in the municipalities of Cereté (C3, C4 and C5) and Chinú (Ch1 and Ch2). The high protein content presented in the “suero costeño” from theses municipalities may be due to the addition of whey protein during its production.
Souzma is a traditional sour strained milk product of Turkophone countries. It is made from a traditional Kyrgyz yogurt, which is salted, then poured into a bag made of cotton, hung to drain, and dry for about a day. It can be diluted and turned into a kind of sour cream or milk. It contains 2.8% protein, 3.2% fat and 4.2% carbohydrates [
22]. Mabisi is a fermented milk product widely consumed in Zambia that is produced after the spontaneous fermentation of raw bovine milk It has lower protein (3 - 4%), fat (2 - 4%), and carbohydrate (4 - 8%) contents than most “suero costeño” produced in the department of Córdoba, but very similar values in terms of acidity (1-2% lactic acid) and pH (4.1 – 4.3). It should be noted that, like coastal whey, there are different types of mabisi, which differ in the production methods, region, and producer preferences, giving these products unique physicochemical and sensory properties [
23,
24]
The ash content of the “suero costeño” presents high values, especially the samples made in the municipality of Cienaga de oro (CO1, CO2, CO3 and CO7), Montería (M1), and Cereté (C3, C4, and C5). The high values of ash content may be due to the fact that some producers add salt and some preservatives. These values are higher than those found in similar products, such as staka (less than 3.42%) [
7], and mabisi (around 1%) [
23].
3.2. Rheological Behavior of “Suero Costeño”
Figure 1 shows the flow curves for “suero costeño” produced in department of Córdoba-Colombia. Most rheograms (56%) show that upward and downward curves coincide: there is no hysteresis phenomenon. Thus, these “sueros costeños” showed a time-independent behavior. On the other hand, some rheograms (44%) show no coincidence between the upward and downward curves; that is, the phenomenon of hysteresis (dependence of behavior with time) is presented. For upward and downward curves, the comparison of independent means showed significant difference between treatments, which corroborates time dependence (thixotropy) in “suero costeño” produced by some productors, mainly from the municipalities of Cienaga de Oro, Cereté, Chinú y Monteria, with a thixotropy comprised between 19.5 and 92.8% (
Table 2). These high percentages of thixotropy may be due to the addition of some thickeners or stabilizers [
25]. This behavior has been reported for dairy cream with some natural stabilizers [
26,
27], ice cream [
28], and yogurt [
29]. Furthermore, for the “sueros costeños” that present time dependence, the ascending curve is greater than the descending curve, so they show a positive thixotropy, where the viscosity decreases with time due to a change of the internal structure when a strain is applied.
Experimental data were adjusted to Ostwald-de-Waele or Power law model, which is the most used for dairy products and all adequately represented rheological data (R
2 between 88.4 and 97.9%). Flow behavior index of the rheograms presents values less than one (0.06 to 0.78) (see
Table 2), which confirm the pseudoplasticity of “suero costeño”. This is related to changes in the macromolecular organization. As the shear rate increases, randomly positioned chains of polymer molecules align in the direction of the flow, resulting in less interaction between adjacent polymer chains [
30]. Similar results were found in creams with different fermentation levels [
3], starch-milk dessert cream [
27], low and high fat cream [
26], recombined cream [
13], sour creams supplemented with milk protein concentrate [
5], and whipping cream [
31]. In general, dairy cream has shear-thinning behavior (pseudoplastic fluid) due to partially aggregated fat globules, which can be broken down at high shear rates [
32].
ANOVA shows that there are significant differences between the rheological parameters of the power law (K and n) of the artisanal “suero costeño” produced by the different producers of the municipalities studied, this is due to the raw materials used and the processing method, which makes this product to have a great variability. Flow behavior index (n) presented values between 0.17 and 0.78, with the exception of some “sueros costeños” (C1, C2, C3) produced in the municipality of Cereté (Córdoba-Colombia), which showed flow behavior index less than 0.10, so their rheological behavior is very pseudoplastic.
The consistency coefficient (
K) presented values between 1.64 and 48.58 Pa s
n, similar values have been reported for sour creams with different levels of milk protein concentrate (17.6 – 26.5 Pa s
n) [
5], creams with different fermentation times: 9 h (20.0 Pa s
n) and 12 h (41.96 Pa s
n) [
3], but lower than those obtained for creams with the addition of corn starch (173.64 Pa s
n), potato starch (84.05 Pa s
n), and tapioca starch (161.13 Pa s
n) [
27]. In general terms, the “suero costeño” that presented the highest consistency coefficient were those made by producers from the municipality of Cereté (Córdoba-Colombia) with average values of 25 and 20 for
Kasc and
Kdes, respectively. This may be due to the amount of fat and the low percentage of acidity, which can affect the electrostatic repulsion and hydrophobic interactions between the casein micelles, and therefore the three-dimensional gel network [
3]
4. Conclusions
“Suero costeño” is a type of traditional sour cream produced mainly on the Colombian Caribbean coast. The physicochemical characterization of this product showed great variability in terms of moisture, fat, protein, carbohydrate and ash content, due to the raw materials used and processing methods, which vary according to the producer. “Suero costeño” has a fat content that classifies it as a full-fat sour cream (fat ≥18%) or light sour cream (fat ≤9%); and presents a nutritional composition that makes it similar to various fermented dairy products traditionally produced in several countries. “Suero costeño” has a shear-thinning behavior (pseudoplastic fluid) and in some cases it presents thixotropy.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, RAP and MSS; methodology, MRP, MTR, RGG; software, CDP; validation, CDP; formal analysis, RAP, BAB, MSS and MAM; investigation, MRP, MTR; resources, MAM and BAB; data curation, ADV, MAM, CDP and YPP.; writing—original draft preparation, RAP, MSS, BAB and MAM; writing—review and editing, RAP, MAM, ADV, BAB, MSS, CGC and AMA; visualization, YPP; supervision, MSS; project administration, MSS; funding acquisition, MSS, CGC, IBC. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación grant number 80740-902-2020 and The APC was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación.
Data Availability Statement
Dataset available on request from the authors.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
- Wang, M.S.; Fan, M.; Zheng, A.R.; Wei, C.K.; Liu, D.H.; Thaku, K.; Wei, Z.J. Characterization of a Fermented Dairy, Sour Cream: Lipolysis and the Release Profile of Flavor Compounds. Food Chem 2023, 423. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Shepard, L.; Miracle, R.E.; Leksrisompong, P.; Drake, M.A. Relating Sensory and Chemical Properties of Sour Cream to Consumer Acceptance. J Dairy Sci 2013, 96, 5435–5454. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Seo, C.W. Physicochemical Changes during Cream Fermentation and Quality Characteristics of Lactic Butter Produced Using Cultured Creams with Different Fermentation Levels. Int Dairy J 2023, 145. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Izsó, T.; Kasza, G.; Somogyi, L. Differences between Fat-Related Characteristics of Sour Cream and Sour Cream Analogues. Acta Aliment 2020, 49, 390–397. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Seo, C.W.; Oh, N.S. Rheological, Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Aroma Characteristics of Sour Creams Supplemented with Milk Protein Concentrate. Food Sci Anim Resour 2023, 43, 540–551. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Narvhus, J.A.; Østby, N.; Abrahamsen, R.K. Science and Technology of Cultured Cream Products: A Review. Int Dairy J 2019, 93, 57–71. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Papadimitriou, K.; Georgalaki, M.; Anastasiou, R.; Alexandropoulou, A.M.; Manolopoulou, E.; Zoumpopoulou, G.; Tsakalidou, E. Study of the Microbiome of the Cretan Sour Cream Staka Using Amplicon Sequencing and Shotgun Metagenomics and Isolation of Novel Strains with an Important Antimicrobial Potential. Foods 2024, 13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Simanca, M.; Arteaga, M.; Perez, Y.; Soto, M.; Salcedo, J. Caracterización y Estudio de La Fermentación Espontánea Del Suero Costeño Producido En Montería. Rev MVZ Cordoba 2010, 15, 1944–1953. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Motato, K.E.; Milani, C.; Ventura, M.; Valencia, F.E.; Ruas-Madiedo, P.; Delgado, S. Bacterial Diversity of the Colombian Fermented Milk “Suero Costeño” Assessed by Culturing and High-Throughput Sequencing and DGGE Analysis of 16S RRNA Gene Amplicons. Food Microbiol 2017, 68, 129–136. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cueto, C.; García, D.; Garcés, F.; Cruz, J. Preliminary Studies on the Microbiological Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Suero Costeño, a Colombian Traditional Fermented Milk Product. Rev Latinoam Microbiol (1958) 2007, 49, 12–18. [Google Scholar]
- Granados Conde, C.; Acevedo Correa, D.; Torres Gallo, R. Calidad de La Leche y Del Suero Costeño de Los Municipios Turbaco, Arjona y Carmen de Bolívar - Colombia. Rev Lasallista Investig 2013, 9, 132–137. [Google Scholar]
- Chams, L.; Cury, K.; Aguas, Y. Evaluación Microbiológica de Suero Costeño y Valoración Higiénica En Puntos de Venta En Montería, Córdoba. Revista Colombiana de Ciencia Animal - RECIA 2012, 4, 344–352. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hussain, H.; Truong, T.; Bansal, N.; Bhandari, B. The Effect of Manipulating Fat Globule Size on the Stability and Rheological Properties of Dairy Creams. Food Biophys 2017, 12, 1–10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kristensen, D.; Jensen, P.Y.; Madsen, F.; Birdi, K.S. Rheology and Surface Tension of Selected Processed Dairy Fluids: Influence of Temperature. J Dairy Sci 1997, 80, 2282–2290. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tunick, M.H. Rheology of Dairy Foods That Gel, Stretch, and Fracture. In Proceedings of the Journal of Dairy Science; American Dairy Science Association, 2000; Vol. 83, pp. 1892–1898.
- Andrade, R.D.P.; Ortega, F.A.Q.; Montes, E.J.M.; Torres, R.G.; Pérez, O.A.S.; Castro, M.N.; Gutiérrez, L.A.S. Physicochemical and Rheological Characterization of Guava Pulp (Psidium Guajava L.) Varieties Hybrid Klom Sali, Puerto Rico, D14 and Red. Vitae 2009, 16, 13–18. [Google Scholar]
- Acevedo, D.; Granados, C.; Torres, R. Caracterización Reológica Del Suero Costeño de Turbaco, Arjona, El Carmen de Bolívar y Uno Comercial (Colombia). Informacion Tecnologica 2014, 25, 3–10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Brighenti, M.; Govindasamy-Lucey, S.; Lim, K.; Nelson, K.; Lucey, J.A. Characterization of the Rheological, Textural, and Sensory Properties of Samples of Commercial US Cream Cheese with Different Fat Contents. J Dairy Sci 2008, 91, 4501–4517. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Moyane, N. The Physicochemical and Sensory Evaluation of Commercial Sour Milk (Amasi) Products. African Journal of Food Science 2013, 7, 56–62. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Terzić-Vidojević, A.; Veljović, K.; Tolinački, M.; Živković, M.; Lukić, J.; Lozo, J.; Fira, Đ.; Jovčić, B.; Strahinić, I.; Begović, J.; et al. Diversity of Non-Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria in Autochthonous Dairy Products from Western Balkan Countries - Technological and Probiotic Properties. Food Research International 2020, 136. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Siddiqui, S.A.; Schulte, H.; Golik, A.B.; Pandiselvam, R.; Venkidasamy, B.; Homayouni-Rad, A.; Maqsood, S. Traditional and Commercial Dairy Products from Yak, Camel, Zebu-Brahma, Mithun, Reindeer and Sow - A Review on Current Research Status. Int Dairy J 2024, 152, 105879. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Konuspayeva, G.; Baubekova, A.; Akhmetsadykova, S.; Faye, B. Traditional Dairy Fermented Products in Central Asia. Int Dairy J 2023, 137, 105514. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sikombe, T.W.; Moonga, H.B.; Schoustra, S.E.; Shindano, J.; Stieger, M.; Smid, E.J.; Linnemann, A.R. Sensory Characteristics and Consumer Acceptability of Four Variants of Mabisi, a Traditionally Fermented Zambian Dairy Product. Lwt 2023, 188, 115410. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Moonga, H.B.; Schoustra, S.E.; Linnemann, A.R.; van den Heuvel, J.; Shindano, J.; Smid, E.J. Influence of Fermentation Temperature on Microbial Community Composition and Physicochemical Properties of Mabisi, a Traditionally Fermented Milk. Lwt 2021, 136, 110350. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Costa, K.K.F.D.; Garcia, M.C.; Ribeiro, K. de O.; Soares Junior, M.S.; Caliari, M. Rheological Properties of Fermented Rice Extract with Probiotic Bacteria and Different Concentrations of Waxy Maize Starch. LWT - Food Science and Technology 2016, 72, 71–77. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Biglarian, N.; Rafe, A.; Shahidi, S.A.; Lorenzo, J.M. Rheological, Textural and Structural Properties of Dairy Cream as Affected by Some Natural Stabilizers. Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture 2022, 9. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dzhivoderova-Zarcheva, M.; Ivanova, S. Influence of the Used Starch on the Structure, Stability and Rheological Properties of a Starch-Milk Dessert Cream. BIO Web Conf 2024, 102, 01009. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lozano, E.; Padilla, K.; Salcedo, J.; Arrieta, A.; Andrade-Pizarro, R. Effects of Yam (Dioscorea Rotundata) Mucilage on the Physical, Rheological and Stability Characteristics of Ice Cream. Polymers (Basel) 2022, 14. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Pérez, J.; Arteaga, M.; Andrade, R.; Durango, A.; Salcedo, J. Effect of Yam (Dioscorea Spp.) Starch on the Physicochemical, Rheological, and Sensory Properties of Yogurt. Heliyon 2021, 7. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Koocheki, A.; Taherian, A.R.; Bostan, A. Studies on the Steady Shear Flow Behavior and Functional Properties of Lepidium Perfoliatum Seed Gum. Food Research International 2013, 50, 446–456. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Long, Z.; Zhao, M.; Zhao, Q.; Yang, B.; Liu, L. Effect of Homogenisation and Storage Time on Surface and Rheology Properties of Whipping Cream. Food Chem 2012, 131, 748–753. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Seo, C.W.; Kang, S.H.; Shin, Y.K.; Yoo, B. Effect of Homogenization Pressure and Supplementation with Sucrose Fatty Acid Ester on the Physical Properties of Dairy Cream-Based Emulsions. Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour 2018, 38, 476–486. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
|
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).