Plant-based ice creams cater to vegans

05/06/2024

Editorial of the Health Diary

Plant-based ice creams

Plant-based foods have been gaining followers around the world, in part due to consumer demands regarding the origin of raw materials and the environmental sustainability of processes.

Veganism, in turn, another lifestyle with strong growth, has been changing dietary patterns due to ethical and health issues, curbing, among other aspects, the consumption of products of animal origin.

In order to meet these demands, as well as diets restricting lactose and fats, scientists from the State University of Campinas have now developed low-calorie ice creams, without the addition of ingredients of animal origin.

Six chocolate-flavored ice cream formulations were developed, three of which were based on soy protein and three with rice protein. The formulations are free from lactose and animal fat, sweetened with sucrose or the sweeteners sucralose and steviol glycoside extract (stevia).

Ice creams sweetened with sucrose were the favorites of the 120 consumers participating in the first tasting experiments. However, approximately 46% of tasters stated that they would also buy the product formulated with soy protein and sweetened with sucralose.

Products made with soy protein generally showed better sensory performance compared to formulations with rice protein. Ice cream formulations sweetened with stevia had greater intensity and duration of the bitter taste.

Calorie reduction

Scientific literature points out that vegan foods, although they bring health benefits, can contain high levels of sugar, salts and fats, with negative effects on human health. For these reasons, the use of sweeteners appears as an alternative to replacing sucrose, considering the high sugar content used, even in vegan formulations.

Ice creams contain 10 to 14% sucrose in vegan and traditional versions.

The results of this study showed that ice cream can be an attractive alternative for the plant-based food market, bringing a pleasant experience to consumers with specific needs, such as lactose intolerants and vegans. However, further investigation is necessary in order to obtain formulations with lower caloric levels.