Monitoring Quantities of Sugar and Fat in Industrial Milk Ice-Creams Supplied in Tehran

Improper eating habits have led to non-communicable diseases. Decrease of fat and sugar consumptions is a way to combat these diseases. The aims of this study were to investigate quantities of sugar and fat in industrial milk ice-creams produced and distributed in urban area of Tehran and compare the values with those of the product labels and relevant national standards.

This study was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study. In this study, community and research environment of the factories producing various types of milk ice-creams and centers for the supply, distribution and sale of various types of milk ice-creams in Islamshahr, Shahryar and southern Tehran, Iran, were investigated. In total, 100 samples of milk ice-creams produced by dairy factories and supplied by centers under the supervision of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were randomly collected. Then, the ice-cream sugar and fat quantities were respectively assessed using Lane Eynon and Gerber methods and values were compared with those of Iranian national standards, product labels and Executive Instruction of the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Iran.

The average quantity of total sugar showed compliance with the national standard of Iran (p < 0.001). Results showed that the average total sugar on ice-cream labels of supply level and total sugar after the test were significantly different (p < 0.001). Results of the fat content showed that 100% of the milk ice-cream samples offered in stores and 92.7% of the factory samples included orange-color spectra. The average total fat on the labels of milk ice-creams from factories (13.99 g ±6.48) and total fat after testing (13 g ±5.25) were in accordance with the instructions of the Food and Drug Administration (p = 0.083). The mean fat contents of milk ice-creams offered in stores (9.25 g ±4.56) and total fat after testing (7.57 g ±2.42) showed statistically significant differences (p = 0.008).

Results of this study demonstrated that most of the milk ice-creams produced by the factories under the supervision of the university and those produced by other factories were in accordance with the framework of the Food and Drug Administration to decrease total sugar and fat contents by 10%.