No, ice cream with more fat is not the best taste
Summer has arrived and it's time to take advantage of all the typical things of the summer period. Visits to the beach, days in the pool, fresh days of hiking in the countryside and of course, enjoy a frozen. This product is very varied and has different flavors, from classic vanilla or chocolate, to others like those similar to those of jellybeans.
Choosing a flavor is something personal, but it is not something that is free of myths. One of them believes that the higher the level of fat present in the frozen, better taste will have. To deny this issue has been commissioned by the study conducted by the Department of Food Science of the State University of Pennsylvania and that has been published in Journal of Dairy Science.
Fatty substances do not influence
To determine if the fat could influence in some way the flavor of the ice cream, the researchers evaluated the effect that had to replace the fat with maltodextrin and determine the degree of satisfaction of consumers. For this, the vanilla flavor was used, which was presented to the participants with different components.
Specifically, the ice creams that were awarded to the participants presented different percentages of fat: 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14%. In each of them, different levels of maltodextrin were included with 8, 6, 4, 2 and 0% of maltodextrin, in order to balance the mixture of this product.
The researchers conducted several tests after saving 19 weeks these ice creams -18ºC to evaluate changes in taste that could result from this action after prolonged storage and at unfavorable temperatures. Then, different tests were carried out in order to determine possible differences in the taste of consumers.
After storage, ice cream with 6, 12 and 14% fat did not show differences in the satisfaction of consumers compared to fresh ice cream. In the cases of products with 6% and 4% of maltodextrin showed a significant drop in the acceptance of products without having gone through the cold room and with the same composition.
However, the cases of ice cream with fat levels between 6 and 12% of fat, and its corresponding compensation with maltodextrin, did not present flavor differences highlighted by the users. That is, a higher level of these ingredients does not influence in any way the taste of these products, so opt for the healthiest products will ensure an identical experience.
The summer diet
Summer is a time when food at home is often altered. This was indicated by the study carried out by Aora Health and where it was shown that more than half of Spaniards modify their diet during summer vacations. At this time there is an increase in the presence of more sugary drinks and the aforementioned ice cream, which contributes a greater quantity of fats to the organism.
Almost 36% of the respondents revealed that ice cream and sweets increased in their home. This product becomes one of the summer stars, although it is usually one of the foods with the highest sugar levels and that can alter the weight of those who consume it the most. Soft drinks also grow during the summer period.
Around 23% of families in Spain He admits that during the summer they drink more sugary drinks and beer, in the case of adults. Of course, a figure close to 37% says that in these summer vacations makes a greater consumption of fruits and vegetables. Finally, almost 6% of the respondents explain that during this time they increase the amount of dishes prepared in their usual diet.
Damián Montero
