Development and Evaluation of Sensory Characteristics of Peanut Milk-Based Ice Cream

Ice cream is a widely consumed dairy product enjoyed by all age groups. There has been a growing trend in developing plant-based ice-creams by substituting cow milk with alternatives derived from nuts, legumes, and grains, as these alternatives have enhanced nutritional and functional benefits compared to conventional dairy-based ice cream. The objective of the current study was to develop a nutritionally enhanced ice cream by partially replacing cow milk with peanut milk and to evaluate its sensory and physicochemical properties. Three different combinations of ice creams were formulated by incorporating peanut milk at varying levels (30%, 40%, and 50%). Sensory evaluation was conducted for the three ice cream samples, and the formulation containing 50% peanut milk was significantly preferred by the panelists (p<0.05). Rheological and physicochemical analysis were performed on the ice cream sample which was selected from the sensory analysis. The overrun, total solids, moisture, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and ash percentages of the selected sample were 29.63±0.01, 42.78±0.02, 57.16±0.25, 30.59±0.25, 3.46±0.25, 7.07±0.03 and 1.73±0.02, respectively. According to these results 50% peanut milk ice cream had desirable physicochemical properties and high sensory acceptability. Therefore, it can be considered a nutritious and consumeracceptable alternative to conventional ice cream.