Grainy sour cream

[JeanneCake]

Today I was making a type of panna cotta with sour cream (in addition to heavy cream etc) and noticed that the new brand of sour cream I'd just got in that morning (it came in cold, at the right temp) was grainy rather than smooth and glossy. It handled fine, tasted fine, the expiration date was Dec 1 but I started to wonder if it had been frozen somewhere along the line (the liner was intact, the sour cream wasn't runny or watery) or what else could cause the grainy-ness. When I strained it, there was about a quarter cup of "stuff" in the strainer (usually there is nothing in the strainer so this was odd) but when we sampled the panna cottas after an hour or so, you couldn't detect any grainy texture. Both 5# buckets were the same.

So, while I know that the sour cream isn't "bad", I wonder if the grainy is because this is how this brand is (it's Daisy) or if the buckets were mishandled. I thought if it had been frozen, it would have been watery or runny, but it wasn't. Is this typical of the brand?

[theabroma]

was it naturally soured or acidified? the latter is often grainy. sometimes, also, when it is frozen and thawed, the stabilizer(s) come back grainy.

Theabroma

[tmriga]

I can tell you from experience with the brand that it is not the case of the brand you are using.

My best guess is also that it was previously frozen.

Theresa