ice cream, vegetable protein, tropical fruits, high pressure homogenization

In recent years, the ice cream market has shown several innovations, expanding its market share. The development of an ice cream with a high protein content can be considered a “healthy indulgence”, especially for those who practice physical activity looking for foods that are tasty but contribute to the protein supply. In this scenario, the substitution of dairy for plant-based ingredients represents an important technological challenge and a trend in the market, as well as the use of innovative technologies in the processing for improving the texture and flavor. The objective of this research is to develop an ice cream with high content of vegetable protein and with a tropical fruit for practitioners of physical activity and to evaluate the application of high pressure homogenization to improve the quality of the product. Initially, an online questionnaire will be conducted to identify the tropical fruit that will be used in the formulation of the ice cream. In the next step, tests will be carried out on ice cream formulations with a high protein content elaborated to select the protein source and mix planning to optimize the proportions of protein and tropical fruit. The products will be analyzed on chemical, physical, nutritional and sensory characteristics. Further on studies will be carried out on the effects of high pressure homogenization aiming at possibly decreasing the usual amount of additives to be used in the product. Finally, the selected optimized ice cream formulation will be analyzed regarding its chemical, physical, nutritional, microbiological and sensory characteristics to evaluate its stability during frozen storage along 90 days. With this study, we expect that a formulation of ice cream based on high plant based protein content and a tropical fruit and can be obtained to fulfill the nutritional requirements of practitioners of physical activities.