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Lady's Finger Can Make Your Ice Cream Last Longer

by Vishnuprasad on Aug 23 2014 11:32 AM

Lady
A new study has found, extracts of the humble okra (lady's finger) can help your ice cream last longer by acting as a stabiliser in the sweet delicacy.
While okra has been widely used as a vegetable for soups and stews, its extracts can be used as a stabiliser in ice cream, reveals the study by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago.

Ice cream quality is highly reliant on the size of ice crystals. As ice cream melts and refreezes during distribution and storage, the ice crystals grow in size causing ice cream to become courser in texture which limits shelf life.

Stabilisers are used to maintain a smooth consistency, hinder melting, improve the handling properties and make ice cream last longer.

The study discovered that water extracts of okra fibre can be prepared and used to maintain ice cream quality during storage. Researchers said that these naturally extracted stabilisers offer an alternative food ingredient for the ice cream industry as well as for other food products.

The study was published in the Journal of Food Science.

Source-Medindia


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