Probiotic butiá (Butia odorata) ice cream: Development, characterization, stability of bioactive compounds, and viability of Bifidobacterium lactis during storage

- Probiotic butiá ice cream had high acceptability and purchase intent.
- Butiá ice cream had 8.51 Log CFU g−1Bifidobacterium lactis counts after 90 days of storage.
- Bioactive compound content was maintained throughout storage with limited losses.
- The combination of B. lactis and butiá pulp conveyed functional potential to ice cream.

The addition of fruit with bioactive properties such as Butia odorata, henceforth called butiá, and probiotic bacteria may improve the nutritional and functional value of ice cream. In this study, butiá ice cream supplemented with Bifidobacterium lactis (Bl-04) was developed and characterized. Butiá ice cream showed 71.2 g 100 g−1 of overrun, a density of 575 g cm−3, and a pH of 4.7. During 90 days of frozen storage (−18 °C), a 10% reduction in total phenolic content and a 5% reduction in l-ascorbic acid content were observed. Carotenoids and flavonoids increased during frozen storage. Probiotic bacteria B. lactis (Bl-04) remained viable (above 106 CFU g−1) in butiá ice cream during storage, confirming the probiotic characteristic of the product. Sensory analyses showed that butiá ice cream had high acceptability (6.8-7.8) and purchase intent (above 80%). The combination of B. lactis and butiá fruit attributed functional characteristics to the ice cream.