Evaluation of the physicochemical and sensorial properties of coconut milk-soy protein-based ice cream

The effect of varying coconut milk (CM) and soy protein powder (SPP) on the physicochemical and sensorial properties of coconut milk-based ice cream was investigated. The formulation comprised of CM and SPP with five different ratios i.e.: 55:0; 51:4; 49:6; 47:8 and 45:10. Increasing ratio of SPP to CM reduced the ice cream melting rate from ∼3–0 mL/min due to the increase in total solid amount and formation of soy protein-gel matrix which strengthened the ice cream network structure. The results showed that ice cream viscosity, gel strength and viscoelastic properties increased with SPP incorporation, which could be the reason for lowering melting rate. CM-based ice cream overrun had improved to more than doubled from 12 % to 25 % when SPP was incorporated, presumably attributed to formation soy protein gel matrix. However, the overrun decreased to ∼10 % when the SPP amount was further increased to 10 % (p < 0.05) as air cells in the system collapsed due to protein aggregation and ice cream dense structure. The ratio of SPP in coconut milk-based ice cream should be considered carefully as it could altered the sensorial attributes significantly. Addition of SPP below 6 % w/w could be considered as it contributed to coconut milk ice cream good mouthfeel and meltdown rates. This study establishes a foundation for further studies to be explored on ice cream structure formed by CM and SPP that yields ice cream with desirable structure and sensorial properties.