Investigation of Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Ice Cream Enriched with Phytosterol

Ice cream is a dairy dessert which has high nutritional value. The aim of this study was to enrich ice cream with phytosterol and to produce functional product. For enrichment of ice cream, different concentrations of phytosterol (1, 2, 3 and 4 percent) were added. The ice cream samples were kept at -18°C for two months. The physicochemical characteristics (acidity, total solids, over run, viscosity, and melting resistance) and sensory quality (flavor, odor, overall acceptance) of the samples were studied. The results showed that as the phytosterol content increased, acidity, fat, total solids, viscosity and melting resistance increased significantly (p < 0.05). Adding phytosterol decreased overall acceptance score of test samples, compared to control sample. During storage, acidity, viscosity, melting resistance increased significantly and overall acceptance decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The ice cream sample containing 4% phytosterol was selected as the best treatment regarding fat content, melting resistance, over run and viscosity. However, use of flavors can improve sensory quality of this functional sample.