Cream
Cream is the fat-rich fraction separated from milk, an oil-in-water emulsion in which milkfat globules are suspended in a serum of water, milk protein, lactose and minerals. It is defined by its fat content, which ranges from around 10 percent in single or coffee creams to 36 percent and above in heavy and whipping creams.
In bakery and dessert work it does three jobs. Whipping incorporates air into a foam stabilised by partially coalesced fat globules, giving the structure of chantilly, mousse and cake filling, and that only works reliably above about 30 percent fat and at low temperature. As a liquid it carries fat and moisture into ganache, custard, crumb and enriched dough. Heated with sugar or acid it contributes body and a cooked dairy flavour to caramel and sauce systems.
Handling behaviour follows the emulsion. Cream destined for whipping is not fully homogenised, because reducing the fat globule size too far prevents the partial coalescence the foam depends on, and it is aged cold for several hours after processing so that enough of the fat crystallises. It is heat sensitive, splitting when boiled hard or when acid is added too quickly, and it ships chilled, UHT treated in aseptic packaging, or frozen. Powdered and vegetable fat alternatives are traded under the same commercial heading and behave differently.
We source bulk Cream from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Gansu, Guangdong and Jiangsu. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Bakery ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Homogeneous white to ivory liquid, free from lumps and separation |
| Odour and taste | Clean fresh dairy, free from rancid or oxidised notes |
| Milkfat | 35.0% to 38.0% for whipping grade |
| Non-fat milk solids | 5.0% min |
| Protein | 2.0% min |
| pH at 20 degrees Celsius | 6.5 to 6.8 |
| Titratable acidity as lactic acid | 0.16% max |
| Alkaline phosphatase | Negative |
| Overrun on whipping | 90% to 120% under the stated whipping conditions |
| Total plate count | 10000 cfu/mL max for pasteurised grade |
| Coliforms | 10 cfu/mL max |
| E. coli | Absent in 1 mL |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 mL |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Absent in 25 mL |
Common Markets Grades
Dairy grades are separated by fat. Single or light cream sits near 18 percent and does not whip, whipping cream runs between about 30 and 36 percent, and double or heavy cream above 36 percent whips fastest and holds the stiffest foam. Sour cream and cultured creams are fermented versions at similar fat levels, and clotted and reduced creams are concentrated further. Processing determines shelf life: chilled pasteurised cream keeps for days, UHT and extended shelf life creams for months in aseptic packaging, and frozen and powdered creams longer still.
Alongside these the trade supplies non-dairy whipping cream and topping bases built on refined palm kernel or coconut fat with sodium caseinate or plant protein, sugar, emulsifiers and hydrocolloids. These are stocked frozen, whip to a much higher overrun than dairy cream, hold their shape longer at room temperature and are not entitled to the reserved name cream in markets where that designation is protected for milk products. Recombined and filled creams, in which milkfat is partly replaced, sit between the two.
Applications
- Whipped toppings and cake decoration, where fat content and ageing determine overrun and foam stability
- Cake fillings, mousses and bavarois, whipped and folded into a base
- Ganache and chocolate truffle centres, emulsifying the cocoa butter phase
- Custards, creme patissiere and dessert sauces
- Ice cream and frozen dessert mixes as the fat source
- Enriched doughs and brioche, contributing fat and moisture together
- Caramel, fudge and toffee, where the milk solids drive Maillard flavour
- Savoury sauces, soups and quiche fillings
- Coffee and beverage whitening in the lower fat grades
Brands Using Cream
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Cream on the ingredient label.
- TillamookVanilla Bean Ice Cream ↗Cream is the first item in the ingredients statement, ahead of skim milk, milk, sugar and pasteurised egg yolks.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Häagen-DazsVanilla Ice Cream ↗A five-ingredient vanilla ice cream listing cream first, with milk, eggs, sugar and Madagascar vanilla.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Cream
Top Cream manufacturers in China.
- Gansu Bozhenyuan Biological Dairy Co., Ltd.3 ingredients in the directory
Guangdong Dongze Food Technology Co., Ltd.6 ingredients in the directory- Jiangsu Zhiwei Dairy Co., Ltd.4 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States cream and its variants are standardised foods. Heavy cream, light cream, light whipping cream and sour cream each have their own definition in 21 CFR part 131 setting the minimum milkfat and the permitted optional ingredients, and grade A products are produced under the sanitary requirements of the Pasteurised Milk Ordinance, which governs farm supply, plant hygiene and pasteurisation records. Products not meeting a standard, including vegetable fat toppings, are labelled with descriptive names such as whipped topping.
In the European Union the designation cream is reserved for the product obtained from milk under the common market organisation rules on dairy designations, so a vegetable fat product cannot be sold as cream. Hygiene requirements for milk and milk products, including heat treatment and raw milk criteria, are set in the food hygiene regulations, and microbiological criteria for pasteurised dairy products are laid down separately. Any stabiliser or emulsifier added to a cream must be authorised under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 for that food category. Codex maintains a standard for cream and prepared creams covering composition and labelling. Milk is a declarable allergen in both markets.
Manufacturing Process
Raw milk is received, chilled and clarified, then warmed to around 50 degrees Celsius and passed through a centrifugal separator, which throws the denser skim outward and draws the lighter fat globules toward the axis. The cream stream is standardised to the target fat by controlled remixing with skim, then heat treated: batch or plate pasteurisation for chilled products, or indirect or steam infusion UHT for aseptic products, with the higher heat load also inactivating the lipases that would otherwise cause rancidity in storage.
Homogenisation is applied selectively. Coffee and cooking creams are homogenised to stabilise the emulsion against creaming, while whipping creams are left unhomogenised or given only a light single stage pass, since intact and partially crystalline fat globules are what allow the foam to set. The cream is cooled immediately to below 6 degrees Celsius and aged for several hours so that fat crystallisation completes, which is what gives consistent whipping performance. Filling is into chilled cartons and bag-in-box or, for UHT product, into presterilised aseptic packaging, with alkaline phosphatase testing used to confirm adequate pasteurisation before release.
