Development and physicochemical and sensory evaluation of protein-enriched lactose-free ice cream using coconut milk and chickpea

Growing global awareness of sustainability, health concerns and dietary restrictions has increased demand for lactose-free dairy substitutes. This research aimed to develop lactose-free ice cream made from coconut milk and chickpeas as plant-based alternatives. Accordingly, six formulations (T 0 -T 5 ) were prepared: T 0 (control) with buffalo milk (100mL) and T 1 -T 5 with coconut milk: chickpea extract (T 1 =100mL:0, T 2 =97mL:3 g, T 3 =94mL:6 g, T 4 = 91mL:9 g and T 5 =88mL:12 g, respectively). Samples were analyzed for proximate composition, physicochemical attributes, color and sensorial properties over a 28-day storage period. The results showed that chickpea incorporation notably improved the nutritional profile. Treatment T 5 exhibited the highest crude protein (5.79 ± 0.23%) and crude fiber (1.17 ± 0.02%) whereas, T 1 (100% coconut milk) had the highest crude fat (10.20 ± 0.06%) and overrun mean value (97.63 ± 0.07%), suggesting enhanced creaminess and air incorporation. Moisture and carbohydrate values varied among the treatments ranging from (83.06 ± 2.71% to 54.8 ± 1.90% and 27.55 ± 0.25% to 22.97 ± 0.03%), respectively. T 5 also recorded the lowest energy value (106.21 ± 3.22 kcal/100 g). During storage, pH and total soluble solids (TSS) decreased, while acidity and hardness increased significantly ( p ≤ 0.05). Viscosity declined across all treatments, indicating partial structural destabilization. Overrun gradually reduced over time, with T 5 showing he lowest value on day 28. Color attributes (a*, b*, L*) varied with storage, particularly showing reduced lightness and increased yellowness exhibited storage-related variation, particularly reduced lightness and increased yellowness. Overall, the findings confirm that coconut milk-chick pea blends offer nutritionally superior lactose-free alternative to conventional ice cream with strong potential for commercial functional food development.