Prebiotic ice cream without additives: the influence of degree of inulin polymerization on product manufacturing

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the degree of polymerization (DP) of prebiotic fibers on ice cream manufacturing and physical-chemical characteristics. Five formulations were analyzed: conventional ice cream with emulsifier (CONV), without emulsifier (CONV NA) and three with prebiotic fibers of different DP (FTX, GR and FOS). The rheology, moisture, total and soluble solids, phase separation, and optical microscopy of the ice cream mix were evaluated. In the ice cream were evaluated the overrun, fat destabilization, hardness, melting behavior and color. Longer-chain inulin increased mix viscosity and stability but produced harder ice cream, potentially hindering scooping and mouthfeel. GR and FOS resulted in softer ice cream with lower viscosity. Fiber-containing ice creams had reduced air incorporation (≈19 %) compared to the control (44 %), leading to increased hardness and slower melting. Prebiotic fibers show promise as natural stabilizers despite not replacing emulsifiers, particularly in health-focused and clean-label ice creams. As far as we know, this is the first study evaluating the inulin DP without the use of emulsifiers in ice cream, contributing to the development of functional and healthier products, and highlighting the need for process optimization to enable production of a sensory accepted product.