Review of the Benefits of Producing Kefir Ice Cream and Comparison of Its Nutritional and Physicochemical Properties with Traditional Ice Cream

Kefir, a traditional fermented beverage originating from the Caucasus, is recognized as a rich source of probiotics due to its wide spectrum of symbiotic microorganisms, including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria, and yeasts. This unique microbial composition, in addition to its role in the fermentation process and the development of distinctive flavor and aroma, provides significant health benefits for humans. These benefits include gastrointestinal health, immune system enhancement, anti-inflammatory properties, and potential roles in managing certain metabolic diseases. With increasing public awareness of the importance of health and the continual search for food products with added nutritional and health value, the concept of “functional foods” has attracted special attention. Functional food products, besides meeting basic nutritional needs, exert additional beneficial effects on consumer health. In this regard, incorporating kefir into formulations of diverse food products, including desserts, creates new opportunities for developing functional products. Ice cream, as one of the world’s most popular and widely consumed desserts, has high potential for enrichment with functional ingredients. Kefir ice cream, combining desirable attributes of kefir such as probiotic properties and nutritional richness with the pleasant texture and flavor of ice cream, emerges as an innovative and appealing option in the functional foods portfolio. The aim of this review article is to comprehensively examine the microbial, nutritional, and textural characteristics of kefir ice cream, describe the mechanisms by which kefir influences these characteristics, and compare it with traditional ice creams in terms of health and quality. The potential of kefir ice cream as a functional product and its development outlook in the food industry will also be discussed.

کلیدواژه ها:

kefir ، ice cream ، physicochemical properties ، traditional ice cream