Quality characteristics of low-fat ice cream mixtures as affected by modified cassava starch and hydrocolloids

Abstract

Reducing ice cream fat content without losing its quality characteristics is a nutritional requirement of many consumers and it is a challenge for the ice cream industry. The objective of this study was to evaluate low-fat hard ice cream formulations using modified cassava starch as a fat substitute. It was used in a proportion of 10% and hydrocolloids such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), guar gum, and xanthan gum were used as stabilizers. Mixture viscosity, drip-through time, melting percentage, total solids, titratable acidity, pH, and hardness were determined. The best formulations were the treatments with a mixture of 67% CMC, 33% guar gum, and 100% xanthan gum; they had a viscosity above 5000 cP, melting percentage lower than 7%, and overrun higher than 93%. In addition, a sensory acceptance evaluation was performed on the two best treatments and compared to a low-fat ice cream using a commercial stabilizer and an ice cream with a 7% fat ratio. The sensory results showed that the samples did not present significant differences, which is important because the best formulations can compete with the commercial stabilizers currently used for this type of ice cream.