Nutritional, Physicochemical, Microstructural, Rheological, and Organoleptical Characteristics of Ice Cream Incorporating Adansonia digitata Pulp Flour

Sally S Sakr; Sahar H S Mohamed; Asmahan A Ali; Waheeba E Ahmed; Reham M Algheshairy; Mona S Almujaydil; Ahmed A Al-Hassan; Hassan Barakat; Mohamed F Y Hassan

doi:10.3390/foods12030533

Nutritional, Physicochemical, Microstructural, Rheological, and Organoleptical Characteristics of Ice Cream Incorporating Adansonia digitata Pulp Flour

Foods. 2023 Jan 25;12(3):533. doi: 10.3390/foods12030533.

Authors

Sally S Sakr^{1

2}, Sahar H S Mohamed^{1

3}, Asmahan A Ali^{1

4}, Waheeba E Ahmed^{1

5}, Reham M Algheshairy¹, Mona S Almujaydil¹, Ahmed A Al-Hassan¹, Hassan Barakat^{1

6}, Mohamed F Y Hassan^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia.
² Dairy Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt.
³ Dairy Department, Food Industries and Nutrition Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33rd Buhouth Street, Dokkii, Giza 12622, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Biotechnology and Food Safety, National Food Research Centre, Khartoum P.O. Box 213, Sudan.
⁵ Department of Food Science and Technology, Alzaiem Alazhari University, Khartoum 1432, Sudan.
⁶ Food Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Moshtohor 13736, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Dairy Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Sohag University, Sohag 82755, Egypt.

Abstract

Ice cream's appeal is unrivaled. Nonmilk and milk ingredients in ice cream formulas affect their nutritional value, structure, and organoleptical qualities. Seeking novel dietary ingredients instead of artificial flavoring compounds is vital for improving ice cream taste preference, adding antioxidants, and increasing nutritional value. The current study examines the feasibility of manufacturing a new flavored ice cream with excellent dietary value using Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) fruit pulp (ADFP). The prepared ice cream's physicochemical and microbiological quality, and rheological, microstructural, and organoleptic properties were investigated. Using ADFP instead of skim milk powder with a partial or complete replacement, five ice cream samples were produced and marked as IB-0, IB-25, IB-50, IB-75, and IB-100. Chemical characteristics were not noticeably impacted except protein and ash, which considerably decreased with increasing ADFP levels. Increasing ADFP in the samples increased titratable acidity and reduced pH. All ice cream samples were microbiologically acceptable with no pathogenic bacteria. By increasing ADFP in the samples, the daily values (%DV) of sodium, potassium, and magnesium were not considerably affected. Calcium reduced from 14.91% in IB-0 to 7.75% in IB-100. All microelements found in the study rose considerably as ADFP increased. Increasing ADFP levels significantly boosted antioxidant levels. The IB-100 sample had the highest total phenolic content (149.29 mg GAE 100 g^-1), antioxidant activity (98.12 µmol of TE 100 g^-1), total flavonoids (5.96 mg QE 100 g^-1), and total flavanols (4.01 mg QE 100 g^-1). The inclusion of ADFP had a beneficial effect on the color of the samples. It did not negatively affect the ice cream's organoleptic acceptability as determined by organoleptic, rheological, and microstructural examinations. Interestingly, when skim milk powder was replaced with 50% and 75%, the hardness, viscosity, and aqueous phase separation were significantly improved. In conclusion, ADPF improves the nutritional value of ice cream and can be used as a natural coloring ingredient without affecting microstructural and rheological properties.

Keywords: Adansonia digitata; antioxidants; ice cream; microstructure; nutrition; rheology.

Grants and funding

The researchers would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research, Qassim University for funding the publication of this project.