Effects of Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Mucilage on the Physical, Rheological and Stability Characteristics of Ice Cream

In the present investigation, yam mucilage was evaluated as a stabilizer and emulsifier in the formulation of vanilla flavored ice cream; physicochemical, rheological, and stability characteristics were determined. A completely randomized bifactorial design was used (yam mucilage: Carboxymethylcellulose ratio with the following levels: 100:0, 80:20, 50:50, and 20:80, and stabilizers concentration with levels of 0.4 and 0.8%). Results showed an increase in the protein content present in ice cream mixture as the amount of mucilage increases. Rheologically, it was found that ice cream has the characteristic behavior of a pseudoplastic fluid, presenting a viscoelastic structure where elastic behavior predominates. In addition, ratios with a higher content of mucilage incorporated a greater volume of air and presented the longest melting times, delaying drops falling time; in the same way mucilage gives ice cream a freezing temperature between -6.1 to -2.8 degrees C, indicating that the application of mucilage in food industry is possible due to its nutritional value, and it gives ice cream stability properties.

Automated summary

In this study, yam mucilage was evaluated for its effects as a stabilizer and emulsifier in vanilla flavored ice cream. The results showed that increasing the amount of mucilage led to higher protein content in the ice cream mixture. Rheological analysis revealed that the ice cream exhibited pseudoplastic behavior with a viscoelastic structure dominated by elastic behavior. Furthermore, ice cream with higher mucilage content had longer melting times and incorporated more air, resulting in delayed drop falling time and a freezing temperature range between -6.1 to -2.8 degrees Celsius, indicating the potential application of mucilage in the food industry due to its nutritional value and stability properties.