Allulose Frozen Dessert Composition for Hardness and Texture Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing frozen dessert formulations using allulose fail to maintain the hardness, texture, and sweetness of full-sugar counterparts due to the unique properties of allulose, leading to soft textures and large ice crystals.
Innovation Solution
Combining allulose with low-sugar syrups and/or solids (LSS) in frozen dessert compositions to achieve a desired hardness, texture, and sweetness comparable to full-sugar desserts, while reducing nutritive sweeteners by at least 10-100%.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If allulose is used as a sweetener in frozen dessert formulations, then caloric content and added sugars are reduced, but the freezing point decreases causing softer texture and larger ice crystals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines allulose with low-sugar syrups and/or solids (LSS) to create a synergistic formulation. The LSS component compensates for the softening effect of allulose while maintaining low calorie and low added sugar content, thus merging two sweetening systems to achieve both caloric reduction and texture preservation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite sweetening system consisting of allulose (monosaccharide) combined with LSS (which may include disaccharides and oligosaccharides). This composite approach balances the freezing point depression effects of different sugar types while maintaining overall hardness within 10-20% of full-sugar counterparts
2Loss of energy
If allulose is used as a sweetener in frozen dessert formulations, then caloric content is reduced, but texture and mouthfeel are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges allulose with low-sugar syrups and/or solids to create a balanced formulation. The LSS component provides structural stability and texture while allulose contributes sweetness with minimal calories, achieving a synergistic effect that preserves mouthfeel
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes the ratio of allulose to LSS and controls the total solids percentage (25-50% by weight) to achieve desired texture parameters. By adjusting these compositional parameters, the formulation maintains hardness and texture stability comparable to full-sugar products
3Quantity of substance
If allulose is used as a sweetener in frozen dessert formulations, then added sugars are reduced, but sweetness and texture of full-sugar counterparts are not matched
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the concentration of allulose (at least 2 wt-% dry basis) and LSS, and total solids (25-50% by weight) to achieve sweetness and texture parameters within 10-20% of full-sugar counterparts. This parameter optimization enables reduced added sugars while maintaining sensory equivalence
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replicates the functional properties of full-sugar formulations by using allulose-LSS combinations that mimic the sweetness, hardness, and mouthfeel of traditional sugar-based frozen desserts, achieving a copy of the desired sensory experience with reduced sugar content
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compositions provide a low-sugar, low-calorie frozen dessert with hardness within 10-20% of full-sugar counterparts, maintaining smooth mouthfeel and texture, and reducing added sugars and calories by up to 100%.
Implementation Method 1
Nutritive sweeteners are also commonly included in frozen dessert food products, such as ice cream, to provide a sweet taste but also provide solids to prevent all the available water in the formula from freezing, which creates a hard texture and large ice crystals. Due to the different molecular make up of sweeteners, the freezing point can vary depending on the size and amount of sweetener in the formula.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are frozen dessert compositions containing allulose and low-sugar syrups and/or solids, along with use of the allulose and low-sugar syrups and/or solids in frozen dessert compositions. Beneficially, the compositions described herein reduce added sugars and/or caloric content of a frozen dessert while overcoming formulation limitations of low- or reduced-sugar frozen dessert products, including matching the hardness, texture, and/or sweetness of their full-sugar counterparts.