Chapter 14 Frozen desserts formulated with plant-based milk: a comprehensive quality analysis

Abstract

The consumption of dairy alternative products is increasing worldwide, particu- larly in the frozen dessert sector, where dairy ingredients are partially or completely replaced with plant-based alternatives. Plant-based milks, including soy, rice, co- conut, cashew, hazelnut, peanut, hemp, and lupine milk, are increasingly incorpo- rated into formulations. This substitution not only replaces animal proteins and fats with plant-based ones but also enriches products with bioactive compounds from plant raw materials or their processing by-products. Analysis of the nutritional value and key physicochemical properties of these desserts shows considerable variabil- ity depending on ingredient composition and production technology, including the methods used to process raw materials. Nonetheless, it is important that such frozen desserts maintain properties comparable to conventional dairy ice cream. The key indicators characterizing the properties of frozen desserts were grouped into the following categories: nutritional, chemical, physical, sensory, functional, and microbiological. These indicators reflect the overall quality of frozen desserts. The grouping of indicators enabled the development of a property tree for frozen des- serts. To assess their quality, a quality index was proposed, which comprehensively accounts for both the weighting of the indicator groups and the individual weight of each indicator within a group. Calculation of the quality index using the developed mathematical model facilitates the objective comparison of the quality of different products, taking into account the recommended (optimal) values of the indicators. The model can also be expanded to include additional indicators that characterize product quality. Based on the SWOT analysis of frozen desserts containing plant-based milk, strategies for product improvement were proposed, considering their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats. The analysis was multi-criteria, covering economic, marketing, social, technological, and quality-related character- istics of the frozen desserts. The proposed framework enables a comprehensive as- sessment of the quality of frozen desserts formulated with plant-based milk and supports the identification of directions for their improvement and market positioning.