Fat structures as affected by unsaturated or saturated monoglyceride and their effect on ice cream structure, texture and stability

This study investigated monoglyceride/solid fat interactions for their effect on fat structuring and subsequent impact on ice cream texture and stability. Ice creams were prepared with saturated fat (palm kernel oil, PKO) and unsaturated fat (sunflower oil, HOSO) at concentrations of 40, 60, 80 and 100% PKO in combination with 0.15% unsaturated monoglyceride (UM) or saturated monoglyceride (SM). Greater structure (aggregation) and melt stability were obtained with 40 and 60% PKO. At these concentrations, UM produced larger fat aggregates, but also retained a larger number of intact droplets compared with SM. Aggregate length and quantity of aggregation affected the melt stability, with larger influence of the former. The properties of particle size, shape and PKO content enhanced G′ of the fat-air phase, and this translated into enhanced solid-like behavior. The presence of HOSO induced adsorption of bulk oil at the air surface, which inhibited aeration.