Dietary Fibers Effects on Physical, Thermal, and Sensory Properties of Low-Fat Ice Cream

This study investigated the effect of incorporating dietary fibers, inulin, acacia, oat, and apple, in a low-fat vanilla ice cream. A significant increase in the ice cream mixture viscosity was observed with the addition of dietary fibers. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the crystallization temperature when apple and oat fibers were used. Additionally, low-fat dietary fiber ice creams displayed statistically lower (p<0.05) glass transition and melting temperatures than full-fat ones, with the most pronounced reductions observed for samples enriched with acacia and apple fibers. Dietary fibers affected (p<0.05) the sensory profile of low-fat ice cream. However, inulin and acacia fibers samples showed a sensory profile comparable to the full-fat ice cream for nearly all attributes. These findings suggest that utilizing inulin and acacia fibers in low-fat ice cream yields characteristics of full-fat, underscoring the potential for crafting high-quality, reduced-fat ice cream products.