Using Ethylcellulose to Structure Oil Droplets in Ice Cream Made with High Oleic Sunflower Oil

In order to mimic physical characteristics of solid fat, ethylcellulose (EC) was used as an oleogelator in ice creams made with high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO). The aim was to improve structure of ice cream made with fully liquid vegetable oil by inhibiting droplet coalescence and to enable a colloidal fat network by making the oil droplets solid-like. Two different methods for incorporating EC into emulsions were developed, both designed to involve high pressure homogenization of ice cream mixes as in traditional ice cream production. Ice creams based on 10% HOSO and 1% EC (cP10 or cP20) were successfully made. Two types of emulsifiers in the ice cream formulations were tested: unsaturated monoglyceride (GMU) or saturated mono-diglyceride. GMU enhanced fat destabilization of ice cream resulting in coalescence of unstructured HOSO droplets. Presence of EC in HOSO based ice cream inhibited coalescence of oil droplets and the structure of the lipid phase resembled the small, evenly distributed fat globules in the reference ice cream made with saturated coconut fat. The resisting effect toward coalescence increased with higher molecular weight of EC, accordingly oil droplets made with EC cP20 were smaller compared to oil droplets containing EC cP10. EC did not increase the amount of air that was incorporated in ice creams based on HOSO, irrespective of the type of emulsifier. In general the overrun in HOSO-based ice creams (with and without EC) was considerably lower compared to ice cream made with coconut fat.

Interest for product development of ice cream based on unsaturated liquid oil is increasing. To compensate for the lacking fat crystals that provide structure and stability in traditional ice cream, the liquid oil is transformed into solid-like material by ethylcellulose (EC). The process of ice cream includes high pressure homogenization, and in order to adapt to this process step, two new methods of incorporation of EC into the oil of ice cream mixes were developed.