Use of stevia and chia seeds for the formulation of traditional and vegan artisanal ice cream

Gelato is the name of the Italian-style artisanal ice cream, a nutritious product widely consumed in different parts of the world. Due to the high content in simple sugars, ice cream should be consumed moderately by diabetic patient. This research aimed to create artisanal ice cream, using Stevia rebaudiana, a plant well known for its sweet taste and its hypoglycemic effect. Traditional and vegan ice cream were formulated using stevia and chia seeds, in order to obtain products with appreciable rheological, textural and sensorial properties. Physical and sensorial properties of the ice cream formulation containing milk protein (traditional) or vegan substitute, were evaluated. Results evidenced as the combination of stevia and chia seeds allow to obtain a product with good rheological characteristics even in the vegan formulation, recording high over run values and good textural features. Also the overall sensory and texture attributes of ice cream containing stevia and chia seeds were evaluated with the highest score. Moreover, despite plant can be good accumulators of heavy metals, the trace elements analysis showed as the use of stevia and chia seeds is not associated with a potential toxic effect.