These University of Missouri researchers set out to add things like fiber, antioxidants, and probiotics (bacteria that help digestion) to ice cream to make it healthier.
“Our main challenges are texture, taste, and psychological adhesion,” said Ingolf Gruen, a professor of food chemistry at the University of Missouri, who led the project, in a statement. “The nutrients we add often taste bitter and affect the texture of the ice cream, and we have to mask them,” he adds.
According to Ingolf Gruen, strong flavors like chocolate mask the taste of nutrients.
Among the nutrients that could be added to ice cream, probiotics and fiber help digestion. Probiotics fight against inflammation of the small intestine, which is sometimes responsible for disease.
Researchers also plan to add acai, a berry with antioxidant properties, or grapes from pressing, in wineries.
According to researchers at the University of Missouri, a prototype of healthy ice cream could appear in six months.
Source: http://munews.missouri.edu
