DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY EVALUATION OF PLANT-BASED NON-DAIRY ICE CREAM USING SOY MILK WITH VARYING STABILIZER CONCENTRATIONS

Abstract

Lactose intolerance affects approximately 75% of the global population, driving consumer demand for plant‑based dairy alternatives. This study aimed to develop a non‑dairy ice cream using 100% soy milk as a complete substitute for cow milk and to evaluate the effect of different stabilizer concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%) on the physicochemical, physical, and sensory properties. Soy milk was prepared from soybeans by soaking, grinding, filtration, and boiling. Four treatments were formulated: T₀ (control, cow milk with standard stabilizer), T₁ (100% soy milk + 0.1% stabilizer), T₂ (100% soy milk + 0.2% stabilizer), and T₃ (100% soy milk + 0.3% stabilizer). The ice cream samples were analyzed for fat, protein, moisture, ash, total solids, pH, overrun, meltdown time, and sensory attributes (color, taste, texture, aroma, overall acceptability) using a 7‑point hedonic scale. Results showed that soy milk ice creams had significantly lower fat (6.8–7.2% vs. 10.5% in control) but comparable protein (3.5–3.8%). Moisture content was higher (64.0–66.5% vs. 62.0%), while ash content was slightly lower (0.65–0.67% vs. 0.70%). Overrun decreased with increasing stabilizer (70% in T₀ to 50% in T₃), whereas meltdown time increased (35 min in T₁ to 48 min in T₃). Sensory evaluation revealed that T₃ (0.3% stabilizer) received the highest scores among soy‑based treatments for taste (7.8), texture (8.2), aroma (7.8), and overall acceptability (8.0), though all soy treatments scored lower than the dairy control. The study concludes that 100% soy milk can successfully replace cow milk in ice cream, and 0.3% stabilizer yields the best overall quality among the tested formulations.