Preparation of nanofibrillated cellulose from grapefruit peel and its application as fat substitute in ice cream

Grapefruit peel nanofibrillated cellulose (GNFC) was used as fat substitute in ice cream. GNFC was characterized by TEM, SEM, and XRD. The effects of GNFC on textural profiles, rheological properties, melting resistance, sensory properties, microstructure, and gross energy (GE) of ice cream were investigated. The results showed that GNFC was short rod-shaped crystal. Ice cream added with GNFC exhibited elastic-dominated behavior and better textural properties. The sensory evaluation score reached the highest level with desirable three-dimensional network structure at 0.4 % GNFC addition. GE of ice cream significantly decreased with reducing fat with maximal reduction rate of 17.90 %. Furthermore, the results of in vitro simulated digestion showed that GNFC addition and fat reduction significantly inhibited fat digestibility of ice cream due to coalescence of fat droplets on GNFC. This study provides new sustainable perspectives for the application of GNFC prepared from agricultural waste as fat substitute in food products.

Automated summary

The study found that ice cream with GNFC exhibited better texture properties and sensory evaluation scores; the total energy of ice cream significantly decreased with reduced fat, with a maximum reduction rate of 17.90%; the addition of GNFC and reduction of fat significantly inhibited the fat digestibility of ice cream.