Whipping cream, typically containing 35%-40% milkfat, is a complex oil-in-water emulsion system that transforms into aerated dairy foam upon whipping. Adequate whipping performance and product quality depend on controlled viscosity, efficient air incorporation, desirable sensory properties, and stability during refrigerated and freeze–thaw storage. In low-fat whipped cream systems (<30% fat), emulsifiers are commonly employed to promote partial fat destabilization, which in turn stabilize air bubbles. However, emulsifiers such as lactylated monoglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, mono- and diglycerides, and polysorbate 80 are increasingly excluded from formulations due to clean-label considerations. This would lead to prolonged whipping time or inadequate whipping, resulting in a soft texture and poor shelf stability, resulting in an unpleasant eating experience.

To overcome these limitations, this study proposes an emulsifier-free, clean-label formulation strategy based on the synergistic structuring effects of starch and selected hydrocolloids. The resulting starch–hydrocolloid network structures compensate for reduced fat content by providing the suitable continuous-phase viscosity, supporting air bubble stabilization, and improving foam resilience (Figure 1). This approach enables the development of clean-label whipped cream formulations containing 15–25% fat with improved whipping performance, enhanced refrigerated and freeze–thaw stability, and an improvement in fatty mouthfeel. These findings highlight the critical role of starch–hydrocolloid interactions in enabling successful clean-label reformulation of aerated dairy systems.