Okra Extracts Help Preserve Ice Cream, Study

A new study has found that extracts of okra can be used as stabilizer in ice cream, that makes the ice cream last longer.

The quality of ice cream greatly depends on the ice crystals. During the process of distribution and storage, ice cream melts and refreezes. The ice crystals swell making the ice cream courser in texture that in turn limits its shelf life. Stabilizers help in maintaining a smooth consistency, avoid melting, and enhance the handling properties due to which the ice cream lasts longer.

In the latest study - led by researchers at the Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok - in collaboration with researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, found that okra is a promising stabilizer to preserve ice cream.

Okra is mainly used as a vegetable for soups and stews, but in this study researchers noticed that the water extracts from okra fiber can be prepared and be used to maintain the quality of ice cream during storage. Such naturally-extracted stabilizers provide an alternative food ingredient not just for the ice cream industry, but also for other food products.

The researchers, in this study, tried to determine, the effects of different concentrations (0.00%, 0.15%, 0.30%, and 0.45%) of okra cell wall (OKW) and its corresponding water soluble polysaccharide (OKP) on the physical characteristics of ice cream. They noticed that The addition of either OKW or OKP at 0.15% to 0.45% significantly improved the melting resistance of ice cream.

"We have shown that OKW and OKP could be used as ice cream stabilizer to retard ice recrystallization and melt down of the ice cream. These naturally extracted stabilizers offer an alternative ingredient for the ice cream industry as well as for other food products," the researchers wrote.

The finding was documented in the journal of Food Products.