Healthier ice-cream with wine waste

A study from Taiwan has postulated that wine lees, the sediment left in the bottom of the barrel after winemaking, could boost the antioxidant profile of ice-cream and slow its melting time.

The researchers reported that the melting rate of ice-cream was reduced by up to 80% when the grape wine lees was added and the antioxidant profile of the ice-cream was simultaneously boosted.

Researchers from Chung-Hwa University of Medical Technology, National Kaohsiung Hospitality College and Asia University formulated ice-cream using 50, 100 and 150 g/kg of the grape lees and compared it to an ice-cream without the lees.

They reported that the melting rate, firmness, pH, colour (lightness) and the amount of freezable water in ice-cream decreased as a result of the addition, while increases in yellowness, viscosity and the stability of fat particles were observed as a function of the dose used.

An increase in the DPPH radical scavenging activity was observed, equally an improvement in the antioxidant profile of the ice-cream.