Sensory properties and viability of probiotic microorganisms in chocolate ice cream supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids

Probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids (ω3FA) are considered functional ingredients and beneficial to the health of consumers. Finding a food suitable for delivering them is still a challenge to food industry. Ice cream is a highly popular food item that could be used to deliver both probiotics and ω3FA. Moreover, the inclusion of ω3FA may improve the viability of probiotics during frozen storage. The objective of this work was to evaluate sensory properties and viability of probiotics in chocolate ice cream supplemented with ω3FA. An ice cream mix (40% solids and 15% fat) was supplemented with an oil emulsion containing CJ3FA and 8 log CFU/g Bifidobacterium longum. Samples without io3FA were used as controls. Sensory analysis was conducted with fresh prepared ice cream mix. Viability of the probiotics was tested during 4-week storage period at -30°C Results showed that panelists detected the presence of w3FA resulting in low acceptability scores, but they still indicated a willingness to purchase this kind of product as a source for ω3FA. The viability of probiotics was higher in the samples with ω3FA during frozen storage. Results indicated that ice cream can be used to deliver both probiotic cultures and ω3FA.