Pioneering research into how small fat globule sizes affect the stability of cream and the spreadability of butter is being conducted in Australia wher nanoemulsion technologies are being adapted for dairy innovations. And the results could lead to low-fat cream that is easier to whip and cold butter that is much easier to spread, as well as dairy cream powders that can be tailored for a range of products from milk to cheese to yogurts.

According to a research team led by Professor Bhesh Bhandari of the The University of Queenslands School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, the solution is all about fat globule sizes.

Professor Bhandari, also of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Dairy Innovation Hub, is pioneering techniques to create innovative dairy products with relatively small capital investment.

“Fat globules in milk came in various sizes, with each size class able to be used to improve specific dairy products,” Professor Bhandari said.

“Our latest findings reveal that small fat globules impart an amazing stability to cream and give cold butter softer texture and improved spreadability.”

Professor Bhandari and his team are exploiting technologies such as nanoemulsions (emulsified oil and water systems with droplets ranging in the billionths of a meter), which are gaining popularity in the pharmaceutical industry.

“The benefit of using the existing dairy equipment is that it can be readily applied to the dairy industry with some modifications,” he said.

“We expect this innovative approach can be used to increase the whippability of low-fat cream and to manufacture functional cream powder for use in recombined liquid milk, cheese, yogurt and butter making.” 

“This will help in introducing further desirable properties in low-fat butter or fat spreads,” he added. “We cant wait to learn about consumer responses to the taste and flavor of nano-sized butter in the later stages of the project.”

ARC Dairy Innovation Hub director Associate Professor Sally Gras said the capabilities developed by the nanoemulsions team had the potential to allow production of innovative dairy ingredients, providing the Australian industry with a competitive advantage.

“This is a great outcome for the dairy industry, as these innovations could boost the sale of dairy fat products, potentially increasing the return on investment to dairy manufacturers,” she said.

The Nanoemulsion team at UQ includes Professor Bhandari, Dr. Nidhi Bansal, Dr. Sangeeta Prakash, Dr. Tuyen Truong, Mr Dhungana and Mr Panchal, in partnership with The University of Melbourne researchers and dairy manufacturing companies.

The studies are published in the Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies and Food Research International Journals.

The work builds on a previous UQ project funded by Dairy Innovation Australia Limited (DIAL), wher dairy nanoemulsions were revealed to have unique physical characteristics.