Carbs in sour cream otherwise known as soured cream is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacteria which is introduced either naturally or by fermentation makes the cream thick and sour. A perfect example of sour cream is Creme fraiche which is endowed with a high fat content and low sour taste.
The name “sour cream” is originated from the production of lactic acid by bacteria formation. It is called souring. Sour cream is not fully fermented, therefore, it must me refrigerated unopened and after use just like many other dairy products. It is important to note that opened refrigerated sour cream can only last 7 to 10 days beyond it’s best before date while unopened refrigerated sour cream has a two weeks life span beyond it’s best before date.
The product contains approximately 18% milkfat before bulking agents are added and nothing less than 14.4% milkfat after the product is finished. So therefore, it contains a total acidity of nothing less than 0.5%.
Sour cream might also contain starch, buttermilk, whey solids and milk, not exceeding one percent amount as well as salt and rennet which is derived from aqueous extracts from the fourth stomach of kids, calfs or lambs in an amount that is consistent with good manufacturing practice.
Benefits of Sour Cream
Sour cream is endowed with a lot of nutritional values in it’s appropriate proportion that your body needs. The product mostly vary in it’s milk fat content. Let’s take Estonia for example. In Estonia, the fat content of sour cream is around 10% to 30%. And however, research has shown that the higher the fat content the product is enriched with, the more food energy and satisfaction the consumer derives.
That is to say each 10% point of fat increases the calorific value of each 100 grams of the product by roughly about 90 calories. If there’s an increase in the fat percentage, the level of cholesterol increases as well. A 100 gram sour cream for instance contains roughly about 40 to 60 milligrams of cholesterol. This is not a problem as less than half of the cholesterol is absorbed into the bloodstream and the normal human body requires about 250-350 milligrams of cholesterol to function properly.
Health benefit of sour cream
According to various research, it has been discovered that sour cream is a good source of vitamins, phosphorus, calcium and other minerals.
One major health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that it is rich in vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 helps the body to produce red blood cells. Aside that, it also aids the proper function of the brain. Research has proven that there’s a connection between depression and low level of vitamin B- complex. These vitamins include B1, B2, B6 and B12. Sour cream therefore provides rich vitamins like vitamin B to aid proper function of the brain.
Another health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that the product is rich in phosphorus and calcium.
Phosphorus and calcium are the minerals responsible for providing the body with strong bones and teeth. Phosphorus in particular aids bone formation, protein synthesis, and production of energy. Calcium on the other hand has a strong protective effect on the bones. Aside that, the mineral is also responsible for the prevention of fractures and osteoporosis.
And yet another important health of carbs in sour cream is that it helps to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency
Sour cream is a product that is rich in vitamin B12. Research shows that approximately about 21-85% of vegetarians lack vitamin B12. This is because vitamin B12 can be found mostly in meat, fish, egg and dairy products. Sour cream can be a healthy choice to get vitamin B12. You can also add some grains, soy foods or juice as they’re also rich in high refined carbs. In some countries of the world today, lack of vitamin B12 is very common as approximately 61% of the people don’t get enough vitamin B12 in their diet. Vitamin B12 deficiency may result to anemia, neurological problems, diabetes and gastric cancer, depression, poor appetite, nervous system damage and fatigue. Therefore, your body needs vitamin B12 to help mobilize protein, ezymes and other nutrients.
Another important health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that the product helps to keep your eyes healthy.
Aside vitamin B12, another important nutrient that the product is endowed with is vitamin A and vitamin E. Sour cream is enriched with these two key nutrients which is responsible to promote proper eye sight. Research has shown that a diet that contains vitamin A and beta- carotene may protect the eye against cataracts. Vitamin A deficiency may result to dry skin, night blindness as well as other eye problems. Vitamin E on the other hand helps to boost cellular health, delay formation of cataract , improve the function of the immune system as well as slow down the progression of age related mecular degeneration. Therefore, it is important to note that sour cream is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E as well as other nutrients that helps to protect your eye from oxidative damage.
Another important health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that it helps to build healthy muscles.
Sour cream is rich in calcium which assists the muscles of the heart as well as contraction of the cardiac muscles. The cardiac muscles requires extracellular calcium ions for contraction. The ion promotes the extracellular fluid which is triggered by the calcium found in sarcoplasmic reticulum.
And yet another health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that the product helps in maintaining various cells in the body.
With the presence of vitamin B12 helps in sour cream, it helps to maintain various cells which are found in the human body. It assists the function of repairong worn out tissues in the body like speeding up healing process of wound. It also helps to maintain the nervous system.
Another important health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that it helps to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Research has shown that with the presence of vitamin B12 in sour cream, it is vital for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease which might display certain symptoms such as confusion and cognitive degeneration. Research shows that Alzheimer’s patients have low presence of Vitamin B12 in the body therefore, sour cream is advisble.
Another important health benefit of carbs in sour cream is that the product assist in promoting growth
Sour cream is rich in vitamin B2 which is very vital for the growth and development of body tissues and reproductive organs such as eyes, mucous membranes, immune system and skin. It also help to promote the growth of the nails, skin and hair.
Other important health benefit of sour cream may include the following:
1. It improves the human digestive health
The product is rich in Vitamin B2 which plays a vital role in the protection and maintenance of mucous membrane of the digestive system.
2. It boosts the immunity of the body
The product is rich in vitamin A which helps the body to to fight against infections. It also empowers the white blood cell as well as prevent or help fight germs by providing double core protection.
3. It helps prevent hair breakage
Carbs in sour cream
The amount of carbohydrate content in sour cream varies to an extent that is from 2.7 to 4%. This is attributed to two reasons. First, carbohydrates are not added to sour cream during production stage unlike other dairy products except spur cream that contains modified starches as a thickening agent.
Secondly, milk sugar cannot disintegrate because the product is manufactured rather quickly and the product doesn’t become too acidic. Lactose or milk sugar comprises most of the carbohydrates in the product. Sour cream has lesser amount of lactose compared to ordinary milk. This is because part of the milk sugar is used by the bacteria in the starting process. It helps to produce and reproduce organic acids that are suitable for the cells of the mucous membrane.
Uses of Sour Cream
Below are some ideas you can adopt for your sour cream before it grows fuzzy.
1. Sour cream can be added to your biscuits and other baked foods.
Add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream to your biscuits, pancakes and cakes to give it the tender, favourable and yummy taste your stomach crave. You can also add sour cream to your over sweet recipe to tune down the taste.
2. Sour cream can be added to your deviled egg recipe.
Sour cream can be used in place of mayonnaise to give the egg a richer and greater taste.
3. Sour cream can be added to your pasta and potato salad recipe.
Sour cream can be used in place of some or all of the mayonnaise in pasta and potato salad recipes. You can as well make it yummier by combining both sour cream and mayonnaise for the best possible taste.
4. Sour cream can be used as a healthy dip for your vegetable platter
Sour cream can be combined with a pouch of ranch or French onion dressing mix to make a quick dip to enjoy with fresh veggies or chips.
5. Sour cream can be added to your soup recipe.
A spoonful of sour cream will give the perfect taste for your creamy vegetable soup. It can also be used to reduce too spicy chillies.
6. Sour cream can be used as a sandwich spread.
Sour cream can be used in place of mayonnaise on sandwiches.The flavor will give it a great taste especially with roasted beef and pulled pork .
7. Sour cream can be added to your recipe for scrambled eggs
Eggs are best enjoyed creamy. Be it eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner. A spoonful of sour cream added to your recipe will give it the healthy creamy taste you desire.
8. Sour cream can be added to your pancake and crepe recipe
Sour cream can be used in place of butter to give your pancake or crepe a more delicious taste.
9. Sour cream can be added to your coffee cake recipe.
Coffee cake tastes even better when sour cream is included in the recipe. It keeps the cake moist and fairly light which is very good because coffee cakes can easily become dense.
9. Sour cream can be added to your tomato soup recipe
Sour cream gives your tomato soup a great taste. It also adds to it’s richness. You can always add sour cream to your soup recipe regardless if the recipe requires it. Sour cream should be added if you feel the need to make your soup creamy and thick.
10. Sour cream can be added to your taco pizza recipe
sour cream can be added to taco pizza to make it less spicy. This can be done by mixing a little hot sauce with the sour cream.
11. Sour cream can be added to your crusted chicken recipe
Sour cream helps to hold the crust to the chicken while keeping it moist in the oven.
12. Sour Cream can be used to make doughnuts
Did you know that sour cream can be used to make doughnuts? Sour cream usually makes the doughnut a little bit tangy. It is usually well contrasted with the sugary glaze. On the contrary to what most people think, the doughnut is usually sweeter with posing a threat to your health, which means you can consume more doughnuts without your sugar level shooting up.
13. Sour cream can be used for your ranch dressing
For your afternoon snacking, parties of any kind, game or fun outings, ranch is the best dip for these occasions. It is also perfect for your French fries, pizza, wings , carrots and vegetables.
14. Sour cream can be added to your vanilla bean cheesecake recipe
For a serious sweet treat, add sour cream to your vanilla bean cheesecake recipe.
