Development of a Reduced-Fat Hom Thong Banana Ice Cream Product using Inulin as a Fat Replacer

Abstract

The objectives of this research were: 1) to determine the amount of Hom Thong banana for the production of banana ice cream; 2) to investigate the concentration of inulin used as a fat replacer in reduced-fat Hom Thong banana ice cream; and 3) to study the chemical composition and microbiological quality of the reduced-fat Hom Thong banana ice cream using inulin as a fat replacer compared to a control. The study on the amount of banana was conducted by varying the Hom Thong banana content at 0%(control), 20%, 40%, and 60% (w/w of ice cream). The results showed that increasing the banana content resulted in higher viscosity, firmness, overrun, and a* value, while the L* value, b* value, and melting rate decreased. The formulation with 40% Hom Thong banana ice cream received the highest sensory evaluation scores. Furthermore, the study on inulin as a fat replacer in the reduced-fat ice cream utilized inulin concentrations of 0% (control), 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% (w/w of whipping cream). It was found that an increase in inulin content led to higher viscosity, L* value, and b* value. Conversely, firmness, fat content, a* and melting rate decreased, whereas the overrun showed no significant differences. The reduced-fat Hom Thong banana ice cream formulated with 8% inulin exhibited the lowest fat percentage and received the highest sensory evaluation scores. When comparing the chemical composition and microbiological quality of the 8% inulin low-fat ice cream to the control, the moisture, fat, protein, and energy contents of the 8% inulin ice cream were significantly lower (p<0.05). However, its dietary fiber contents were significantly higher than those of the control (p<0.05), with no significant difference observed in moisture ash and carbohydrate content. Finally, the total plate count and coliform bacteria were in agreement with the Food Act standard No354 (Ice cream), Ministry of Public Health (2556).