The main challenge to producing a nutritionally improved milk fat composition is to increase monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and decrease saturated fatty acids (SFA) without detriment to dairy product characteristics. Our aim was to determine the optimal amount of intestinally available oleic acid (via abomasal infusion) to produce higher-MUFA milk fat with satisfactory functional characteristics for ice cream. One control and four increasing doses of free fatty acids (FA) from high oleic sunflower oil (HOSFA) were infused into the abomasa of four lactating dairy cows in a changeover design with periods of 7 d. Treatments were (1) control (no FA infused), (2) HOSFA (250 g/d), (3) HOSFA (500 g/d), (4) HOSFA (750 g/d), and (5) HOSFA (1000 g/d). All treatments included meat solubles and Tween 80 as emulsifiers. Ice cream mixes were prepared with butter oil from all treatments. Samples prepared from control and 500 g/d HOSFA infusion were evaluated by a judging panel in a triangle test. Statistical analysis of results showed linear changes in most of the variables analysed as HOSFA infusion increased. For ice cream under freezing temperatures, the 500 g/d level was optimal. Sensory evaluation analysis indicated no statistical difference between ice creams prepared from the control and 500 g/d HOSFA infusion. Changes in 23 triacylglycerol fractions were statistically correlated to functional properties at 10 min of freezing. The decrease in fractions with SFA (butyrin-caprylin-palmitin, butyrin-laurin-olein, butyrin-myristin-palmitin, butyrin-palmitin-palmitin, caproin-myristin-palmitin, butyrin-palmitin-stearin, caproin-palmitin-palmitin) and the increase in dioleyl triglycerides (with butyric, lauric, myristic and palmitic acids) and triolein were some of the most highly correlated with ice cream functional properties as the result of increasing HOSFA infusion. We were able to produce an ice cream with desirable physical and organoleptic qualities, yet containing twice as much oleic acid and two-thirds as much palmitate as a control ice cream.

We aimed to develop a new ice cream made from goat milk inoculated with the probiotic bacteria Limosilactobacillus fermentum CABA16. The physicochemical characteristics, meltdown behaviour and sensory properties of ice cream produced with and without the probiotic bacteria were analysed. The ice cream with added L. fermentum was further evaluated for probiotic viability during frozen storage and simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Results showed that the addition of L. fermentum CABA16 decreased the pH to 6.25 (P < 0.05), but had no effect on physicochemical properties such as overrun and melting behaviour of ice cream samples. The viable probiotic count was 6.71 log CFU/g with a survival rate of 90%, which was registered after 120 days of frozen storage. Considering the probiotic cell viability during gastrointestinal conditions, exposure to bile and pancreatin for 6 hours resulted in a decline of 3.6 log CFU/g cycles in ice cream samples previously stored at −18 °C for 120 days. Overall, the goat milk ice cream inoculated with L. fermentum received good sensory scores, and satisfactory probiotic viability (6.7–7 log CFU/g) was maintained throughout the 120 days of frozen storage.

We investigate incumbent brands’ response to entry and increased competition in a large retail setting. We extend the nonprice competition and manufacturer stocking literatures by examining if incumbent brands increase quality, specifically increasing the number of varieties (product-line length), in response to entry of a new local brand in the ice cream market. We use the entry of a new, local, super-premium ice cream brand in a large supermarket chain as a quasi-natural experiment and empirically examine if incumbent ice cream brands increased the product-line length in stores carrying the new brand. Using Poisson difference-in-differences estimators, we find that incumbent brands increased the number of varieties offered by 0.9 (3 percent) after the new brand's entry, with most of the responses coming from super-premium ice cream, which increased the number of varieties offered by 2.9 (12 percent) product choices. These findings contribute new insights into quality changes, manufacturer stocking decisions, and nonprice competition associated with entry of a local brand into the food retail sector.

Two cases of hospital-acquired listeriosis were linked to a commercially produced, pasteurized ice cream mix. Manufacturers should implement safety measures from the Food Safety Modernization Act to minimize the risk of Listeria contamination. Dietary guidelines for persons at high risk of listeriosis may need revision to recognize the potential risk from pasteurized products.