Course:FNH200/Assignments/2022/Dairyland Sour Cream vs Dairyland Fat Free Sour Cream

Introduction

Sour cream is characterized by a tangy taste that complements many dishes, sauces, and even desserts. Bacterial culture is added to pasteurized cream to produce lactic acid, which causes a coagulation of the proteins found in cream. The lactic acid and its interaction with proteins creates thickness and the sour taste. Together with approved additives, the taste, mouth-feel, and shelf-life of sour cream are enhanced. As consumers become more health-aware, more purchase products with fat-free alternatives. This page will explore the food science and food safety in the manufacturing of commercial sour cream.

A comparison will be made between Dairyland 14% Milk Fat Sour Cream and Dairyland 1.5% Milk Fat Sour Cream. Dairyland is a beloved Canadian company based in British Columbia whose products can be found in many supermarkets nationwide. A comparison between their regular sour cream and their fat-free alternative will equip consumers to make more informed food choices about this Canadian staple.

Product Images

Sour cream Dairyland

Fat-Free Sour Cream Dairyland

Picture of Ingredients for Regular Sour Cream

Picture of Ingredients for Fat Free Sour Cream

Ingredient lists

Table 1. Ingredient comparison between Dairyland sour cream regular and fat free.

Dairyland Sour Cream Regular (14% M.F.)	Dairyland Sour Cream Fat Free 1.5% M.F., 500 Millilitre
Milk ingredients Modified corn starch Bacterial culture Carrageenan Modified milk ingredients Guar gum Sodium citrate Calcium sulphate Disodium phosphate	Milk ingredients Modified corn starch Bacterial culture Carrageenan Pectin

Table 2. Identified fat substitutes, sugar substitutes, and/or additives used.

	Dairyland - Regular (14% M.F.) Sour Cream	Dairyland - Sour Cream Fat Free (1.5% M.F.), 500 Millilitre
Fat substitutes	None	Pectin
Sugar substitutes	None	None
Additives	Modified corn starch Modified milk ingredients Guar gum Sodium citrate Calcium sulphate Carrageenan Disodium phosphate	Modified Corn Starch Carrageenan

Table 3. Roles of fat substitutes, sugar substitutes, and/or additives.

Fat Substitutes	Roles
Pectin	Contributes to the creamy texture. It also contributes to the mouth-feel of foods, and helps maintain or gives support to the particles in suspension.
Additives	Roles
Modified Corn Starch	These are used in sour cream for thickening, stabilizing, and emulsifying. Modified starch is used to increase the shell life of the sour cream. It thickens the cream faster.
Carrageenan	A substance that is made up of seaweed which has laxative properties. It acts as a stabilizer and thickener in sour cream. It gives the product a rich creamy texture.
Modified Milk Ingredient	Modified milk ingredients extracted from milk that goes through different processing, one of which is turning milk into powder by evaporating all the milk. This could affect the flavour, but does not pose any health issues.The modified milk ingredients are easier to import to Canada and have a longer lifetime.
Guar gum	Guar gum used in Dairyland sour cream is E412 guar gum. It does not change the taste or smell and is used as a thickening agent. Guar gum classifies as emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing, or thickening agents.
Bacterial culture	The lactic acid produced by bacteria turns pasteurized cream into sour cream.
Sodium citrate	Sodium citrate helps to adjust pH, water correcting, and acid-reacting materials. However, for sour cream, it is primarily used as a flavouring agent.
Calcium sulphate	Dairyland uses E339ii Calcium sulphate. According to Health Canada, it is categorized as an emulsifier, gelling, stabilizer, and thickening agent. It also helps in adjusting pH and water correcting.
Disodium phosphate	Help as a thickening, stabilizing, emulsifying, gelling agent.

Compare and Contrast

Dairyland manufactures both regular-fat and fat-free products to have a similar texture and taste, by using other alternative ingredients. Table 1 lists the ingredients of regular and fat-free sour cream. As can be seen, the regular sour cream contains more additives: modified milk ingredients, guar gum, sodium citrate, calcium sulphate, and disodium phosphate. In comparison, the fat-free sour cream has pectin added to provide a texture (creamy and mouth-feeling) similar to the fat in regular sour cream. The pectin used could be extracted from the apple and citrus fruits.  

Labels

Table 4: Labelling requirements

Requirements	Dairyland - Regular (14% M.F.) Sour Cream	Dairyland - Sour Cream Fat Free (1.5% M.F.), 500 Millilitre
	Nutrition Label for Regular Sour Cream	Nutrition Label for Fat Free Sour Cream
Bilingual Labelling	The label has bilingual labelling with both languages of English and French.	The label has bilingual labelling with both languages of English and French
Common name of the food	The common name is Sour Cream.	The common name is Sour Cream.
Principle Place of Business	The company, Dairyland Canada, operates from British Columbia	The company, Dairyland Canada, operates from British Columbia
Legibility and location	The label is legible and the information is easy to locate on the packaging. The product is made in Canada	The label is legible and the information is easy to locate on the packaging. The product is made in Canada
Date marking and storage instructions	Because the shelf life of sour cream is less than 90 days, there is a date marking the shelf life and storage instructions available. For this particular product, storage instructions are “Keep Refrigerated”	Because the shelf life of sour cream is less than 90 days, there is a date marking the shelf life and storage instructions available. For this particular product, storage instructions are “Keep Refrigerated”
Net quantity	The net quantity is 750 ml	The net quantity is 500 ml
List of ingredients	List of ingredients under nutritional facts table. Milk ingredients Modified corn starch Bacterial culture Carrageenan Modified milk ingredients Guar gum Sodium citrate Calcium sulphate Disodium phosphate	List of ingredients under nutritional facts table. Milk ingredients Modified corn starch Bacterial culture Carrageenan Pectin
Irradiated Foods	Not applicable to this product	Not applicable to this product
Sweeteners	Not applicable to this product	Not applicable to this product
Other information	On the container lid, the name, the manufacturer, and the milk fat percentage are all present. The label on the regular sour cream container states the the milk fat percentage is 14%, which follows the regulatory guidelines required for some milk products where the milk fat percentage must be stated.	On the container lid, the name, the manufacturer, and the milk fat percentage are all present.The label on the regular sour cream container states the the milk fat percentage is 1.5%, which follows the regulatory guidelines required for some milk products where the milk fat percentage must be stated.
Nutrition Facts labelling	It is clearly shown and adheres to all presentation of the nutrition facts table requirements.	It is clearly shown and adheres to all presentation of the nutrition facts table requirements.
Food additives	All additives listed in list of ingredients in accordance to the December 14, 2016 amendments to nutrition labelling.	All additives listed in list of ingredients in accordance to the December 14, 2016 amendments to nutrition labelling.
Fortification	Not applicable, not fortified	Not applicable, not fortified
Grades	Not applicable	Not applicable
Standards of identity	Unstandardized	Unstandardized

Picture of Ingredients for Fat Free Sour Cream

The information stated above follows the regulatory requirements/guidelines set by the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations and in lesson 4.

References

This Food Science resource was created by Course:FNH200.