Artisan strawberry ice cream made with supplementation of lactococci or Lactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract

The main aim of this research was to determine whether strawberry, a highly acidic fruit, can mask the sour taste of ice cream made with the addition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The effect of different LAB on strawberry ice cream quality was assessed. Six strawberry ice creams containing single strains of commercial LAB were produced. Two lactic acid supplementing methods were used. In one of them, pasteurised ice cream mix was inoculated with a single starter of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and incubated until the pH dropped to 5.6. In the second method, the milk part of the ice cream mix was fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris separately. Sufficient live bacterial counts were obtained in both LAB supplementation methods. In addition, fermenting the mix to pH 5.6 resulted in better taste and flavour scores. The sour taste resulting from the addition of LAB can be masked by highly acidic fruit. The sensorial properties of strawberry ice cream made with LAB supplementation were preferred to the control. The addition of the LAB to the highly acidic fruity ice cream is beneficial for both sensorial and physico-chemical properties.