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Hrmbee OP t1_ixe7dzu wrote

From the article:

>It's no easy feat to come up with a tasty-but-healthy alternative to one of our favorite treats. "The most difficult aspect of developing an alternative food is getting the texture right," said Risbo. "Whipped cream undergoes a unique transformation that occurs in a complex system where a high saturated fat content makes it possible to whip the cream stiff. So, how do we create an alternative where we avoid the high fat content, while still achieving the right consistency? This is where we need to think innovatively." > >Risbo and his colleagues only used four ingredients in their experiments: water, edible lactic acid bacteria, a little bit of milk protein, and a thickening agent. There are many kinds of lactic acid bacteria—the kind used by the food industry as a yogurt culture and to preserve cold cuts—and they are plentiful in nature, found in plants and in human/animal mucus membranes and digestive tracts. They also turn out to be ideal building blocks for foods and are roughly the same size as the fat globules in heavy whipping cream. > >The Danish team made both soft and stiffer versions of their prototype whipped cream using two different varieties of bacteria: Lactobacillus delbrueckii subs. lactis (LBD) and Lactobacillus crispatus (LBC). The LBC strain is more hydrophobic, producing a cream that is stiffer and retains liquid better than the concoction produced with LBD, which is hydrophilic. > >These experiments were primarily to demonstrate proof of concept, and the resulting foams were evaluated primarily for texture and desirable foamy characteristics—not for taste. So we're not likely to see canisters of "Lacti-Wip" on store shelves any time soon. But the experiments provided valuable insight into how best to create a non-dairy whipped cream alternative with a similar food structure.

It's promising to hear about these initial results with this topic of research, and it will be interesting to see what results from this in the future.

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FranticPonE t1_ixgrb2j wrote

Yeah I'd bet this is going to go anywhere. There's chemical receptors in your tongue, nose, and even gut that communicate the chemical makeup of something to your brain. And the reason that whipped cream tastes good is because the chemical makeup includes fats and sugars, which you're not going to replace with thickening agents and milk protein.

A better idea would be to understand why, or rather what, sugar and fat are bad for you and simply substitute them. Low glycemic index sweeteners would cut heart disease without any loss in taste, and dairy fats don't appear to have much affect on heart disease or the possible neurological effects fats can have. If they'd just make whipped cream with coconut sugar you'd have a relatively healthy substitute already.

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