Can no-sugar-added (NSA) ice cream taste as good as full-sugar ice cream? Sensory studies have shown a significant preference for NSA ice creams made with Maltisweet™ IC, a maltitol syrup from SPI Polyols. These comparisons were run vs. a wide range of commercial NSA products currently on the market. A study recently published in Foodservice Research International (Volume 15, 2004) compared the same NSA product with a full-sugar vanilla ice cream-both products are available commercially at The Pennsylvania State University Creamery. This study, led by Peter Bordi, director of the Center for Food Innovation and an associate professor in the School of Hospitality Management at The Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa., suggests an overall equivalent acceptability of the NSA ice cream compared to the full-sugar ice cream. Further studies are planned to study shelflife and to confirm preference for the characteristics of maltitol and maltitol syrup vs. other NSA approaches on the market.

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