A Computer Vision System for the Assessment of Ice Cream Melting Behavior.

Melting behavior is one of the most important quality indices of ice cream. It is usually evaluated by gravimetric methods and expressed in terms of starting time and rate of melting. However, the aspect of ice cream during melting is also important because shape retention is linked to a good structure of the product. The protocol proposed here illustrates a computer vision system (CVS) that can be used to support the already existing gravitational methodology to calculate two new melting indices related to shape retention and melting rate. Pictures of ice cream during melting are taken every 15 min for a total of 90 min. Afterward, digital images are elaborated using a purposely developed image processing method to calculate ice cream area, height, and width. The ratio between height and width at each melting time, referred to the ratio at time 0 (Rt/R0), is an index of the shape retention of ice cream, while the area at the different melting times referred to the area at time 0 (At/A0) is related to the melting rate. This computer vision system allows the obtaining of highly sensitive and reliable results, and it can be applied not only to ice cream but also to different food matrices, such as whipped milk cream or egg albumen.

Designing novel ice creams using nut oil emulsion gels based on blueberry pectin and CaCl2 as fat replacers: Insights from physicochemical and sensory properties.

This study aimed to utilize blueberry pectin and calcium chloride to design a gel network structure for loading nut oils (peanut and walnut oil, respectively). The optimization of emulsion gel preparation was conducted through orthogonal experiments, utilizing the oil-holding ratio and gel strength as critical indicators. The emulsion gel was applied to the ice cream production. It was revealed that the peroxide value of the nut oil emulsion gels was significantly lower than that of nut oils. Both nut oil emulsion gel ice creams exhibited higher expansion rates, lower melting rates, and decreased hardness than the nut oil ice creams. Notably, walnut oil emulsion gel ice cream demonstrated a melting rate similar to traditional butter-based ice cream. Emulsion gel ice cream has higher fat globule instability and viscosity. Overall, the comprehensive emulsion gel ice cream indicators were comparable to conventional butter ice cream and notably superior to peanut and walnut oil ice cream. Using emulsion gel as a fat substitute in ice cream was feasible. The implications of these results were significant for advancing the utilization of nut oil emulsion gel within the ice cream industry.

The use of mare's milk for yogurt ice cream and synbiotic ice cream production.

During the last years, growing interest in the use of mare's milk in food production is observed. The subject of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of mare's milk for the production of yogurt ice cream and synbiotic ice cream. Four variants of mare's milk ice cream were developed: ice cream with yogurt bacteria without inulin (YO) and with 2% of inulin (YO+I), synbiotic ice cream with 2% inulin and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (LCR+I) and with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP+I). Ice creams were enriched with inulin in order to evaluate its influence on the viability of LAB and on the product quality. Physicochemical, textural and sensory analyses were performed. Count of viable bacteria cells was also evaluated. Obtained ice creams did not differ in terms of protein, fat and total solids content (1.85-1.91%, 7.33-7.58% and 24.66-26.96% respectively), but differed in acidity. Ice cream YO, the only one without inulin, had the highest acidity, what suggests that inulin decrease this parameter. Regardless the type of LAB starter culture and inulin addition, samples had the same range of overrun (35.20-44.03%) and melting rate (73.49-79.87%). However the variant of ice cream influenced textural properties and colour parameters. All obtained mare's milk ice creams had high overall sensory quality. It was noticed, that ice cream with inulin had higher count of LAB (>7logCFU/g), than sample without inulin (>6logCFU/g). In conclusion, mare's milk may be considered as feasible raw material for yogurt ice cream and synbiotic ice cream production.

Chasing the chill: Unveiling the dynamic flavors and textures of ice cream formulations.

In this study, nine commercial ice creams and four prototypes were assessed. For the sensory analysis, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), and temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) methodology were used. According to the QDA results, full-composition ice cream showed significantly higher differences (p < .05) in terms such as vanilla and sweet flavors, brightness, creamy texture and appearance, and viscosity, exhibiting longer melting times. Functional ice creams showed significantly higher differences (p < .05) in terms like viscosity, creamy texture, and appearance. On the other hand, agave fructans in prototype ice creams were found to be able to reduce fat, but not fat and sugar simultaneously, showing a significant decrease (p < .05) in terms such as hardness, crystallized texture, gummy texture, and porosity. Based on the PCA results, the analysis accounted for 75.28% of data variability. Full-composition ice creams and one functional ice cream were related to terms such as viscosity, fatty sensation, creamy texture and appearance, dense, gummy, among others. The rest of the commercial ice creams were related to vanilla and caramel flavor and smell, artificial aftertaste, aerated, porosity, among others. Prototype ice creams were related to hard texture, salty and milk flavor, and crystallized texture. Based on the results of the TDS method, all formulations were found to be significantly dominant (5%) in terms such as vanilla flavor and sweet flavor at the beginning of the test. Formulations containing butyric fat and/or vegetable fat, or agave fructans were significantly dominant (5%) in fatty sensation.

Optimizing vegan frozen dessert: The impact of xanthan gum and oat-based milk substitute on rheological and sensory properties of frozen dessert.

This study aimed to optimize an alternative frozen dessert formulation using the response surface method (RSM). The formulation utilized oat-based milk substitute (OBMS) due to its desirable texture, sensory appeal, and nutritional benefits for vegans and lactose intolerant individuals. Xanthan gum (XG) was also incorporated to enhance the rheological properties of the dessert. With a coefficient of consistency of 192.58 Pa.s and a hysteresis field of 10,999 Pa/s, the ice cream formulation with the greatest rheological structure was discovered to be the combination of 20% oats, 0.5% xanthan gum (XG), and pasteurized at 65 °C. It also showed <10% melting in the first 10 min, confirming that it has a very stable structure. At the same pasteurization conditions and XG ratios, it was observed that rheological stability decreased with increasing oat milk addition. However, the shear thinning behavior of frozen dessert was improved by creating a more complex network structure with increasing XG concentration. The overrun values of the frozen desserts ranged from 21.55% to 34.63%, with the majority being statistically similar. The vegan frozen dessert formulation obtained with 40% oats, 0.37% XG and pasteurization at 60 °C showed a high level of sensory acceptance. This research contributes to the field of vegan food product development by providing innovative rheological and sensory alternatives to traditional frozen desserts using oats and XG.

Simultaneous determination of 11 water-soluble synthetic colorants in foods consumed in Chile by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode Array detection.

In Chile, limited information is available on colorants in commonly consumed foods among vulnerable age groups. We developed and validated a rapid HPLC-DAD method to simultaneously evaluate 11 synthetic colorants in candies, beverages, ice cream, and cereals. The method exhibited excellent analytical performance for all 11 colorants with LOD (0.44 - 1.55 mgL-1), LOQ v(1.32 - 4.70 mgL-1), precision (4.0 and 7.3% RSD), and recovery (80 - 105%) in fortified matrices (10-50-100 mgL-1). The highest detection frequencies were as follows: cereals > candies > beverages > ice cream. Sunset Yellow was the most prevalent colorant in all food matrices, followed by Allura Red and Azorubine. Positive samples contained between 1 and 5 synthetic colorants. With the exception of cereals, the colorant concentrations in the remaining matrices exceeded the Codex Alimentarius regulations and the values reported in other studies worldwide, indicating the Chilean population is at risk.

Probiotic-Enriched Ice Cream with Fermented White Kidney Bean Homogenate: Survival, Antioxidant Activity, and Potential for Future Health Benefits.

This study investigated a novel probiotic-enriched ice cream containing fermented white kidney bean homogenate to explore its potential health benefits in the future. We assessed the viability of various probiotic strains during ice cream production and storage, focusing on their potential to reach the gut, and evaluated overall antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total polyphenol content (TPC) assays. The incorporation of fermented white bean homogenate significantly increased antioxidant capacity compared to the control group. Notably, strains such as Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v demonstrated the most pronounced effects on antioxidant activity, suggesting potential synergistic benefits between probiotics and bioactive compounds in fermented white beans. Although all probiotic strains experienced decreased viability during storage, certain strains, particularly L. plantarum 299v and Lacticaseibacillus casei DN-114001, showed promising survival rates even after 6 months. These results suggest the potential for developing probiotic ice cream containing viable bacteria capable of reaching the gut and contributing to a healthy gut microbiota. Overall, this study highlights the potential of probiotic-enriched ice cream with fermented white kidney bean homogenate to combine the established benefits of probiotics for gut health with the enjoyment of consuming ice cream.

Study of alginate-encapsulated phycoerythrin in promoting the biological activity of synbiotic ice cream with Lactobacillus casei.

This study examines the effect of phycoerythrin (PE) from a cyanobacterial Nostoc strain encapsulated with alginate as a potential prebiotic to produce synbiotic ice cream products with Lactobacillus casei. It was found that the addition of the encapsulated PE affected, mostly favourably, the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, probiotic survival, volatile compound contents, and sensory acceptability of the synbiotic ice cream samples before and after aging at the freezing periods of one day to eight weeks. Thus, it confirms the prebiotic potential of PE for synbiotic ice creams with L. casei.

Fat, protein, and temperature each contribute to reductions in capsaicin oral burn.

It is widely accepted that milk provides the greatest relief from capsaicin burn, an effect typically attributed to its fat content and temperature. Previously, Lawless et al. reported partitioning lipophilic capsaicin in fat reduces burn, whereas Green showed lower temperature reduces burn. Recent research shows that dairy and nondairy proteins also reduce capsaicin burn, suggesting that multiple factors reduce oral burn from chilies. Here, we investigated the effectiveness of palate cleansers with varied viscosities, temperatures, and sugar, fat, and protein content. Specifically, we tested ice cream, Italian ice, yogurt, lassi, cold water (4°C), and warm water (37°C). Participants rinsed with a 5 ppm capsaicin solution, followed by a palate cleanser, before rating burn intensity continuously for 2 min on a general Labeled Magnitude Scale. Inspection of the time-intensity (TI) curves revealed all palate cleansers performed better than warm water. Italian ice performed on par with cold water, which did better than yogurt. Pairwise comparisons showed that ice cream and lassi had significantly lower burn ratings at some time points relative to warm or cold water. We extracted scaffolding parameters for each TI curve, finding that ice cream and lassi had the lowest areas-under-the-curve and the greatest percent decrease from their maxima, with ice cream performing slightly better in both parameters. These data support the view that it is not just one characteristic of a product, but rather a combination of product factors that reduce oral burn, including fat content, protein content, and temperature. More research is required to determine the relative weight of these factors in combination, given the multiple mechanisms underlying burn reduction.

Ice cream cone fortified with spent coffee ground: Chemical composition, quality and sensory characteristics, and in vitro starch digestibility.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of spent coffee grounds in ice cream cones on the quality, sensory characteristics, and in vitro starch digestibility. The incorporation of spent coffee grounds in ice cream cones increased the content of dietary fiber and phenolic compounds. However, the quality and texture characteristics decreased with the addition of spent coffee grounds. The in vitro starch digestibility decreased significantly, resulting in a significant increase in resistant starch content. Fitting starch digestibility using the LOS-plot model revealed the presence of two sequential first-order digestion rates. Sensory analysis revealed that the panelists well accepted ice cream cones fortified with spent coffee grounds. The results suggest that spent coffee grounds are a potential ingredient for the formulation of food matrices with reduced starch digestibility, which contributes to the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases such as type II diabetes.

Metabolomics analysis of potential functional metabolites in synbiotic ice cream made with probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CNCM I-745 and prebiotic inulin.

Probiotic lactic acid bacteria have been widely studied, but much less was focused on probiotic yeasts in food systems. In this study, probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CNCM I-745 was employed to prepare ice cream added with and without inulin (1%, w/v). Metabolomics analysis on the effect of inulin showed 84 and 147 differentially expressed metabolites identified in the ice cream samples from day 1 and day 30 of storage (-18 °C), respectively. Various potential functional metabolites were found, including citric acid, ornithine, D-glucuronic acid, sennoside A, stachyose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, maltohexaose, maltoheptaose, cis-aconitic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, L-threonine, L-glutamic acid, tryptophan, benzoic acid, and trehalose. Higher expression of these metabolites suggested their possible roles through relevant metabolic pathways in improving survivability of the probiotic yeast and functionality of ice cream. This study provides further understanding on the metabolic characteristics of probiotic yeast that potentially affect the functionality of ice cream.

What about the Use of Ice Cream as a Supplementary Diet in Chronic Kidney Disease? A Case-Control Study.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can extend life expectancy and improve a person's health status. In addition to physical activity and bad habits related to smoking and alcohol, diet is also a determining factor. Following a healthy diet pattern over time and supporting a healthy body weight contributes to reducing the risk of developing more severe complications associated with very common diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans promote the adoption of fat-free or low-fat diets and discourage the consumption of foods with added sugar and solid fats, such as ice creams and other frozen desserts. On the other hand, ice cream, from a nutritional and healthy point of view, can be considered a possible food choice, due to its greater palatability and high nutritional content, but its consumption must be scheduled in a balanced diet. In this retrospective study, 36 patients with chronic renal failure were enrolled. Two different diets were proposed (A and B). In Diet B, lemon sorbet was added twice a week as an alternative food to replace fruit or snacks making the diet more varied and palatable. Nutritional status and biohumoral, immunological, and blood parameters were evaluated after 6 months. A statistical analysis shows a significant inter-group difference in creatinine and azotemia between T0 and T1. Intra-group significant differences were found in lymphocytes (p = 0.005) and azotemia (p < 0.001) in Diet A, and in azotemia (p < 0.001) and transferrin (p < 0.001) in Diet B. The results indicated that ice cream represented a good alternative food in both groups of patients regarding nutritional values and patient satisfaction. Furthermore, the treatment with ice cream allowed for better control of azotemia, maintaining stable levels even in patients with advanced CKD. This study concludes that ice cream could exert beneficial effects in addition to CKD patients' dietary regimens.

Potentially functional lactose-free ice cream with Lacticaseibacillus casei CSL3, ginger, and honey.

AIMS: To develop and characterize a functional lactose-free ice cream with added ginger and honey, evaluate the survival of Lacticaseibacillus casei CSL3 under frozen storage and the simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT), as well as antioxidant activity and product acceptability. METHODS AND RESULTS: The survival of Lacticaseibacillus casei CSL3 was evaluated for 180 days, under frozen storage, and GIT at 60 days. At 15 days of storage, proximal composition, antioxidant activity, color, pH, acidity, fusion, density, overrun, and sensory analysis were performed. Ice cream was an effective food matrix for maintaining the viability of CSL3, with concentrations > 7 log CFU g- 1 during storage and GIT. In addition, the analysis showed overrun and prebiotic characteristics through high values of antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds, good acceptability, and purchase intention. CONCLUSIONS: The product has satisfactory market potential (acceptance rate of 95.19% and purchase intention rate > 96%), and it could become another means of inserting probiotics in food.

Trend in basic oral treatment needs in relation to taxation of sweets, ice cream, and sugar-sweetened beverages in Finland: a registry-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The aims were to explore the trend in basic oral treatment needs and total operating cost of public dental services (PDS) in relation to total excise tax revenue generated from sugary products during 2011-2020 and to evaluate the impact of tax policy in excise tax revenue of sugary products and average sugar consumption. METHODS: The study comprised longitudinal data retrieved from Finnish registries during the years 2011-2020. Basic oral treatment needs, and total operating cost of PDS, total excise tax revenue generated from sugary products and average sugar consumed (kg per capita) during the years 2011-2020 were obtained. Simplified panel analyses and sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate the effects of explanatory variables on outcomes.  Results: An approximate one EUR 1,000,000 increase in total excise tax revenue generated from sugary products corresponds to a 0.4% increase in total operating cost of PDS. There was a significant positive trend in total operating cost of PDS in Finland over the study period. Similarly, an approximate one EUR 1,000,000 rise in total excise tax revenue corresponds to a 0.2% increase in basic oral treatment needs. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference in the average excise tax revenue for sugary products between the periods before and after 2017. CONCLUSION: No change in average sugar consumption was observed despite implementing the new sugar policy. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to reconsider the excise tax on sweets and ice cream as it will significantly increase the total national revenues.

Characteristics of Pickering emulsions stabilized by microgel particles of five different plant proteins and their application.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by protein particles are of great interest for use in real food systems. This study was to investigate the properties of microgel particles prepared from different plant proteins, i.e., soybean protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), mung bean protein isolate (MPI), chia seed protein isolate (CSPI), and chickpea protein isolate (CPI). MPI protein particles had most desirable Pickering emulsion forming ability. The particles of SPI and PPI had similar particle size (316.23 nm and 294.80 nm) and surface hydrophobicity (2238.40 and 2001.13) and emulsion forming ability, while the CSPI and CPI particle stabilized emulsions had the least desirable properties. The MPI and PPI particle stabilized Pickering emulsions produced better quality ice cream than the one produced by SPI particle-stabilized emulsions. These findings provide insight into the properties of Pickering emulsions stabilized by different plant protein particles and help expand their application in emulsions and ice cream.

Sensory properties of thickened and protein-enriched plant-based frozen desserts.

The number of consumers following plant-based diets has increased and in turn, the variety of plant-based foods available on the market has also increased. Many plant-based foods aim to mimic the functionality and sensory properties of conventional dairy products; however, they may not be suitable for specific populations. Dysphagia, for example, is a swallowing condition requiring texture-modified foods that meet specific criteria. While many conventional thickened products exist that are safe for individuals with dysphagia, the growing interest in plant-based eating alongside the increasing prevalence of dysphagia prompts a need for research on the use and safety of thickened plant-based alternatives. This study investigated the sensory properties of a thickened protein-enhanced ice cream (dairy and whey) compared to thickened protein-enhanced plant-based frozen desserts (cashew and pea, and coconut and pea). The formulations were evaluated using the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization (IDDSI) Spoon Tilt Test and a sensory trial (n = 104 participants, 47 flexitarians and 57 typical consumers) using static (hedonic scales and check-all-that-apply [CATA]), and dynamic (temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA)) methods. The dairy and whey sample consistently passed the IDDSI test, while the plant-based samples did not. TCATA identified that the plant-based samples had an increased cohesiveness and adhesiveness, and decreased slipperiness when compared to the dairy and whey sample. The differences in textural properties may explain why the plant-based samples did not pass the IDDSI test. The study identified that although plant-based foods strive to mimic conventional dairy products, they have different textural and flavor properties.

Bacteriocin production by lactic acid bacteria using ice cream co-product as the fermentation substrate.

Ice cream manufacture commonly results in the accumulation of wasted product that contains valuable food-grade quality components, including fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Methods have been developed for recovering the fat from this waste stream, but this results in the generation of a co-product rich in fermentable carbohydrates. This study aimed to investigate the potential for using this co-product as a fermentation substrate for production of antimicrobial peptides, called bacteriocins, by dairy starter cultures. Results showed that Streptococcus thermophilus B59671 and Lactococcus lactis 11454 produced the broad-spectrum bacteriocins thermophilin 110 and nisin, respectively, when the fermentation substrate was melted ice cream, or a co-product generated by a modified butter churning technique. Bacteriocin production varied depending on the brand and variety of vanilla ice cream used in this study. When an alternate enzyme-assisted fat extraction technique was used, S. thermophilus metabolism was impaired within the resulting co-product, and thermophilin 110 production was not observed. Lactococcus lactis was still able to grow in this co-product, but antimicrobial activity was not observed. Results from this study suggest the co-product generated when using the churning technique is a better choice to use as a base medium for future studies to optimize bacteriocin production.

Determination of Cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa Oil and Infused Ice Cream by LC-DAD Method.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis sativa is known to produce a class of terpenophenolic compounds named cannabinoids. The two main ones are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which have therapeutic properties. In the development of cannabis-based preparations, it is important to have suitable analytical methods for the analysis of the principal cannabinoids. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and validate a simple and rapid HPLC method with photodiode array detection for determination of CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa oil extract and infused ice cream, including a stability study. METHOD: Chromatographic separation of CBD and THC was performed with a C18 column, with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water with formic acid (80 + 20 v/v) in isocratic elution mode, with detection at 208 nm for CBD and 280 nm for THC and 1.0 mL/min flow rate. RESULTS: The method was linear over a range of 1-5 µg/mL for CBD, and 20-100 µg/mL for THC; the relative standard deviation was <3.6%, the recovery ranged between 98.8 and 102.5% for oil and between 84 and 94% for ice cream, QL was 0.33 µg/mL for CBD and 2.30 µg/mL for THC, and the assay demonstrated adequate selectivity. CBD and THC were stable for at least 28 days under light protection at 22°C, 4°C, and -20°C in the oil and for at least 60 days at -20°C in the ice cream. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the method was suitable for quantitative determination of CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa oil extract and infused ice cream, and it is useful for quality control purposes. HIGHLIGHTS: The method is simple and fast, and it is useful for the quality control of a new product corresponding to an ice cream based on a Cannabis sativa oil extract.

Ice cream with sucralose, stevioside, and erythritol as sugar substitutes: Sensory profile and customer preference.

Sugar-free food has been gaining popularity because of low-calorie content. But sugar replacement by high-intensity sweeteners can negatively affect sensory. In this study, the effect of the addition of sucralose (Suc), stevioside (Ste), and erythritol (Ery) as sugar substitutes on the sensory profile and overall acceptance of ice cream were evaluated by penalty analysis (PA) based on the check-all-that apply (CATA) method, with those of the partial least squares (PLS) regression. Twelve sweetening agents of ice cream samples were presented to 106 consumers who answered on an overall liking question using the 15-point hedonic scale and a CATA question with 32 attributes that described the sensory characteristics of ice cream. The results showed that mixed sweeteners (60%Suc+20%Ste+20%Ery or 60%Suc+10%Ste+30%Ery) can present an advantageous performance when used separately, and making ice cream similar to that of sucrose (Sac) added. Adding Suc, Ste, and Ery to ice cream hardly felt bitterness, astringency, and chemical-like sensations of the sweetening agent. The significant difference between different sweeteners is the intensity and speed of sweetness. Developing combination of high-potency sweeteners that can make sweetness appear quickly could open up new ways to design sugar-free ice cream.