Whipping properties and stability of whipping cream: The impact of fatty acid composition and crystallization properties

•High lauric and myristic acid content resulted in a dense fat crystal network.•A dense fat crystal network promoted partial coalescence and improved whipping cream quality.•High palmitic acid content resulted in a loose and weak fat crystal network.•A weak fat crystal network restricted partial coalescence and lowered whipping cream quality. In this study, five fats (hydrogenated palm kernel oil, HPKO-A and HPKO-B; refined vegetable oils, RVO-A and RVO-B; transesterification oil, TO) were used to prepare whipping creams. HPKO-A and RVO-A which rich in lauric and myristic acids facilitated the formation of small crystals and dense crystal network, while higher stearic acid content of HPKO-B formed large spherical crystals. The richness in palmitic acid (RVO-B and TO) and oleic acid (TO) led to the formation of weak crystal network. Higher partial coalescence was correlated to higher collision frequency of fat globules and crystal connection, therefore, the overruns, firmness and stability of creams prepared by HPKO-A and RVO-A were higher than those of HPKO-B and RVO-B. The least stability of cream prepared by TO was related to the weak crystal networks. In summary, higher lauric and myristic acids content resulted in dense crystal networks, promoting partial coalescence and improving the cream quality.