Effect of sucrose replacement and hardening by electromagnetic treatment on quality indicators of ice cream

The study examines the effect of sugar substitutes and electromagnetic treatment on the structure, quality, and thermophysical properties of ice cream. The investigated sugar substitutes included maltitol, erythritol, and fructose. The ice cream formulation was developed using mathematical modeling based on predetermined values of fat content, total solids, and non-fat milk solids. Calorimetric, organoleptic, and physical methods were used to assess the quality of the obtained ice cream samples. It was found that maltitol, due to its molecular weight being the closest to sucrose (344.3 and 342.3 g/mol, respectively) among the examined sugar substitutes, proved to be the most suitable sugar replacement. Replacing sugar with erythritol resulted in a shift in crystallization (from 0.9 to –9.5 °C) and glass transition (from –34.1 to –31.9 °C) temperatures, as well as an excessively hard texture (256 N). In contrast, substituting sugar with fructose led to an overly soft texture (2.4 N), increased melting rate, and excessive sweetness. Ice cream samples subjected to electromagnetic field treatment in this study did not exhibit statistically significant differences compared to untreated samples. Based on the research findings, a sugar-free ice cream formulation was developed. It was demonstrated that replacing sugar with substitutes of similar molecular weight preserves the quality of the final product.