# Microbiological and Sensory Quality of Artisanal Sour Cream
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Physicochemical Composition of the Cream
This basic knowledge is important to harmonise traditional practises with modern quality expectations and consumer preferences. The pH values of the cream samples showed very low variability, ranging from 4.09 in sample 14 to 4.71 in sample 11, with an average of 4.40. When compared to data from cream samples collected at Bielovar marketplaces [4], which reported a minimum pH of 4.14, a maximum of 4.48, and an average of 4.31, no significant differences were observed. In contrast, titratable acidity (expressed in \({}^{\circ}\)SH) demonstrated much greater variability, with values ranging from 3.92 to 20.92, and an average of 9.40. This stands in stark contrast to earlier findings from Zagreb marketplaces [29], where the average titratable acidity was 29.88 \({}^{\circ}\)SH, indicating substantial differences likely due to variations in production conditions. The observed variability in both pH and titratable acidity can be attributed to differences in the microbiological quality of the raw milk and the fermentation process itself. During natural fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, either naturally present in the milk or introduced through environmental exposure, produce lactic acid, lowering the pH and contributing to the formation of the gel structure characteristic of sour cream. In traditional sour cream production, inoculation with defined starter cultures is not practiced; instead, the process relies on spontaneous acidification by indigenous microflora. To achieve the desired pH and sensory quality, it is critical to halt further acidification by cooling the product to 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C at the appropriate stage of fermentation. The variability in \({}^{\circ}\)SH values may also reflect the influence of undissociated acids and other compounds with high buffering capacity, which affect the measurement of titratable acidity. Although creams with higher fat content are generally expected to exhibit higher titratable acidity, this trend was not consistently observed. For example, sample 6 had the highest milk fat content (39.8%) but relatively low titratable acidity (5.24 \({}^{\circ}\)SH), whereas sample 17 exhibited the highest titratable acidity (20.92 \({}^{\circ}\)SH) despite having a lower fat content (24.42%). While a partial correlation between milk fat and \({}^{\circ}\)SH was noted in some samples, fat content alone does not fully explain the differences. Variations in fermentation time likely played a significant role, emphasizing the importance of carefully monitoring acidity levels during the fermentation process to ensure consistent product quality. Saturated fatty acids are an important group of milk lipids, and the analysis revealed the presence of major SFAs, including butyric acid (C4:0), caproic acid (C6:0), caprylic acid (C8:0), capric acid (C10:0), lauric acid (C12:0), myristic acid (C14:0), pentadecylic acid (C15:0), palmitic acid (C16:0), and stearic acid (C18:0). In addition, several minor SFAs were detected in smaller amounts or only in certain samples, such as undecylic acid (C11:0), tricyclic acid (C13:0), margaric acid (C17:0), arachidonic acid (C20:0), heneciosylic acid (C21:0), beheic acid (C22:0), tricosylic acid (C23:0), and lignoercic acid (C24:0), indicating a diverse SFA profile across samples. Based on the data from Tables 3 and 4, it is evident that SFAs dominate the fatty acid composition in all analysed cream samples. The highest proportion of SFAs was found in sample 10 (72.47%), while sample 12 had the lowest (58.03%). These findings are consistent with earlier reports, including [PERSON] et al. [30], who noted that the fatty acid composition of animal-derived foods varies considerably due to various factors \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline  & **C4:0** & **C6:0** & **C8:0** & **C10:0** & **C12:0** & **C14:0** & **C15:0** & **C16:0** & **C18:0** & **SFA (\%)** \\ \hline  
\end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Saturated fatty acid content (g/100 g fat). such as diet, age, body weight, sex, and genotype of the animal.