Evaluation of the Characteristics of Sheep’s and Goat’s Ice Cream, Produced with UF Concentrated Second Cheese Whey and Different Starter Cultures

Abstract

Second cheese whey (SCW) is the by-product resulting from the manufacture of whey cheeses. In the present work, sheep (S) and goat (G) SCW concentrated by ultrafiltration (UF) were used in the production of ice creams. Concentrated liquid SCW samples with inulin added as a prebiotic were fermented with yoghurt, kefir and probiotic commercial cultures before being frozen in a horizontal frozen yoghurt freezer. The physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of the products were evaluated over 120 days of frozen storage. The products presented significant differences regarding these properties, specifically the higher total solids and protein contents of sheep's ice creams, which were higher compared to their goat ice cream counterparts. Sheep’s ice creams also presented higher hardness and complex viscosity, which increased with storage. These ice creams also presented higher overrun and lower meltdown rates. The color parameters of the ice creams showed significant differences between formulations resulting from storage time. In all cases, Lactobacilli sp. cell counts were higher than log 6 CFU/g at the first week of storage. In the case of sheep’s ice creams these values were maintained or increased until the 30th day, but decreased until the 60th day. Lactococci sp. counts surpassed log 7 CFU/g in all products, and these values were maintained until the end of storage, except in the case of G-Yoghurt and G-Kefir. Concerning the products containing probiotics, the sum of Lactococci sp. and Lactobacilli sp. counts was of the order log 8–9 CFU/g until the 60th day of storage, indicating that the probiotic characteristics of ice creams were maintained for at least 2 months. All products were well accepted by the consumer panel. Sheep’s SCW ice creams were better rated regarding aroma, taste and texture. However, only the ranking test was able to differentiate preferences among formulations.

Innovative applications of whey protein for sustainable dairy industry: Environmental and technological perspectives—A comprehensive review

“…Pires et al. (2023) recommended various methods of incorporating WPCs into ice cream blends, including WP (2%–3%), WPC34 (1.5%–3%), WPI (0.5%–1%), or WPC60–WPC80 (0.5%–2%), offering manufacturers a range of options to select from.…”

“…Therefore, it is crucial to experimentally determine the optimal amount of WPCs to ensure desired product characteristics. Pires et al (2023) recommended various methods of incorporating WPCs into ice cream blends, including WP (2%-3%), WPC34 (1.5%-3%), WPI (0.5%-1%), or WPC60-WPC80 (0.5%-2%), offering manufacturers a range of options to select from. Hugunin et al (2009) provided an overview of the whey products used in yogurt production, such as SW powder, which can substitute SMP at a rate of 2%-5.2%.…”

Sheep’s Second Cheese Whey Edible Coatings with Oregano and Clary Sage Essential Oils Used as Sustainable Packaging Material in Cheese

“…Others refer to its potential to produce biofuel products [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The use of SCW to produce fermented drinks or as an ingredient in food formulations, was also evaluated [ 3 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. However, further research work on the valorization of SCW is still required, and the difficulties related with the technology transfer from researchers to dairy producers need to be overcome.…”

Application of Ultrafiltration to Produce Sheep’s and Goat’s Whey-Based Synbiotic Kefir Products

“…In the case of these producers, sheep and/or goat CW is often used to produce whey cheeses (WC). However, this option has some disadvantages, particularly the high energy input required to produce WC, its short shelf-life, and the fact that the byproduct of such process, deproteinized whey, also known as SCW, presents the same environmental constraints of CW, which result from its high lactose content [ 9 ].…”