Incorporation of flaxseed oil in producing functional ice milk and evaluate its health effect in rats

Abstract

Ice cream is a very popular dairy product throughout the world. The target of the present study is to produce a functional ice milk product rich in unsaturated fatty acids content by using different concentrations of flaxseed oil. Therefore, three different mixes of ice milk were prepared by substituting 25, 50 and 75% of milk fat (3%) with flaxseed oil. Results of fatty acid profiles of resultant plain and functional ice milk showed that the highest concentration of saturated fatty acids was present in control sample, being 63.72%, while the lowest figure was detected in F3 treatment (75% flaxseed oil substitute of milk fat), actually 21.1%. In contrast, control sample possessed the lowest value of unsaturated fatty acids, being 34.96%, while the highest concentration of unsaturated fatty acids was found in treatment F3 (77.58%). Moreover, omega-3 fatty acid content increased from 1.87% in control sample versus to 11.97% for F3 treatment. Continuously, omega-6/omega-3 ratio decreased significantly from 2.49 of control sample to 0.27 for F3 treatment. This decreases in omega-6/omega-3 ratio increased by increasing flaxseed oil substitution % in the ice milk mixes. However, decreasing omega-6 intake and increasing omega-3 are essential to improve health, prevention and management of chronic disease. Moreover, rats fed on functional ice milk reduced the levels of atherogenic indexes 1, 2 and LDL/HDL as compared to those fed on control ice milk (CII). In conclusion, health promoting could be provoked when flaxseed oil incorporated in making ice milk for up to 75% substitution of milk fat.