Effects of adding green tea powder on physicochemical, sensory and antioxidant properties of ice cream

Currently ice cream is one of the most consumed frozen dairy desserts that its consumption is increasing every year and in recent years, many efforts have been made to improve the nutritional value of this product. Green tea has many health benefits including antioxidant properties and lowering triglycerides, reducing blood pressure, preventing cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-blood clotting, sedative and anti-stressing. In this study, green tea powder in the doses of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3% was added to ice cream formulation thus, seven treatments were designed according to a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement and physicochemical, sensory and antioxidant properties of produced ice cream were studied. The results of physicochemical tests showed that by increasing the percentage of green tea powder, acidity, dry matter, antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, viscosity and resistance to melting of samples increased and pH, fat, non-fat solid of the samples were decreased significantly (P≤0.05).The results of sensory evaluation showed that the taste and color of the samples containing 1.5 and 2% green tea powder had highest score and the lowest score belonged to sample containing 3% green tea powder. The highest score of texture belonged to control sample and lowest score of this factor, belonged to sample containing highest percentage of green tea powder. Sample containing 1.5% green tea powder that had the highest score of flavor, color and overall acceptability, was introduced as superior treatment.