Feb 19, 2020
Researchers have found that freeze-dried strawberry powder is an excellent stabilizer for ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts. According to U.S. Agriculture Department’s Agricultural Research Service (ARC), the ingredient is so effective that frozen desserts with freeze-dried strawberry or raspberry powder retained their shape even after reaching room temperature.
Most stabilizers commonly used today — sodium alginate, guar gum, iota carrageenan, xanthan gum and carboxymethyl cellulose — can cause negative consumer reactions when they appear on ice cream labels, the ARS said, so freeze-dried fruit powders could be a cleaner-label solution.
This finding could be useful to ice cream or frozen dessert makers who would prefer using cleaner-label stabilizers. It also might appeal to consumers who don’t want to see chemical-sounding names on the products they buy.
Ice cream made without some type of stabilizer may turn crunchy because of ice crystals, which can occur with temperature changes in the machine or freezer. Stabilizers are used to limit melting, keep whey from leaking out, prevent shrinkage during storage and enhance a creamy mouthfeel.
ARS research food technologist, said in the release that fibers in some freeze-dried berry powders become totally hydrated, increasing their viscosity and helping to resist melting.
The benefits of using freeze-dried fruit powders in ice cream have been known for some time, especially to at-home ice-cream makers, but their potential applications hadn’t been technically quantified before. The researchers began looking into how the powders could be used to stabilize ice cream after an all-natural dessert maker asked for some scientific information about them.
Fibers in some freeze-dried berry powders become totally hydrated, increasing their viscosity and helping to resist melting.
The benefits of using freeze-dried fruit powders in ice cream have been known for some time, especially to at-home ice-cream makers, but their potential applications hadn’t been technically quantified before. The researchers began looking into how the powders could be used to stabilize ice cream after an all-natural dessert maker asked for some scientific information about them.