Danisco Launches Low Fat Ice Cream Solution

07/12/06 With health and wellness concerns sweeping the globe, consumers seemingly are looking for the impossible. They want the same combination of traditional flavor and mouthfeel in a product with fewer calories and less fat. Now soft serve ice cream manufacturers can take advantage of Danisco’s technological innovation to create an indulgent treat that trims the fat while trimming production costs as well.

New GRINDSTED IcePro SS, a line extension within the Danisco GRINDSTED IcePro family of patent pending stabilizers, creates a creamy, indulgent soft serve ice cream while cutting fat from the traditional 5-7% to as low as 1%. This means that formulators can cut out more than half the fat, without negatively affecting taste, flavor or product stability. The cost of production is trimmed as well with the savings recovered from lower butterfat use.

Traditionally the butterfat content supplies the creamy mouthfeel, smooth texture and rich flavor consumers expect from ice cream. However for consumers it adds unwanted calories and fat and for manufacturers, higher cost. The new GRINDSTED IcePro SS stabilizer functions as a product that improves/maintains texture while maintaining fat perception, all while allowing manufacturers to cut production costs – a rare combination in the frozen dessert industry.

“Soft serve ice cream is traditionally eaten away from home, so it really stands out as a special eating occasion,” says Jennifer Lindsey, Dairy Industry Manager, Danisco. “With studies that show texture and flavor perception inextricably linked, it is important to ensure the entire eating experience lives up to expectations.  Now consumers can actually indulge in a healthier product that still provides all of the fun and enjoyment they expect from soft serve ice cream.”

Taste panelists rated 1% fat soft serve ice cream prepared with GRINDSTED IcePro SS just as creamy as 5% fat soft serve. Overall the taste panelists perceived the 1% GRINDSTED IcePro SS as having the same fat content as the 5% fat soft serve ice cream. Additional sensory testing showed no significant difference in preference between 5% fat soft serve and 10% fat soft serve. So even in premium soft serve products, the fat could be reduced by half yet retain full flavor and sensory characteristics.

Recognizing that every formulation is unique, Danisco specializes in designing stabilizer systems tailored to individual product needs. GRINDSTED IcePro SS ingredients have FDA GRAS designation. Indulgence can now be just a bit better for the waistline as well as the bottom line.