International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science 18 (2019) 100173

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International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijgfs

Sensory profile, biophenolic and volatile compounds of an artisanal ice T

cream (‘gelato’) functionalised using extra virgin olive oil
Raffaele Sacchia,∗∗, Nicola Caporasoa,b,∗, Gian Andrea Squadrillia, Antonello Paduanoc,
Maria Luisa Ambrosinoa, Silvana Cavellaa, Alessandro Genovesea
a
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Division of Food Science and Technology, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy
b
Division of Food Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, UK
c
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Bari, Italy

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This research aimed to characterise an innovative ‘gelato’ (Italian-style artisanal ice cream) made by adding
Functional foods extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as a functional ingredient, in order to provide health benefits and a characteristic
Gelato flavour. We report the chemical-physical and sensory profile of an artisanal ‘gelato’ made by adding EVOO (10%
Olive oil phenolics w/w) characterised by medium biophenol content (228 mg kg−1) and a green-herbaceous flavour with a
Food flavour
moderately bitter taste. The total phenolic content of the functional EVOO ice-cream was 25 ± 0.94 mg kg−1.
SPME-GC/MS
The additional presence of EVOO added some key volatile compounds, including trans-2-hexenal, 1-hexanol, cis-
Oleic acid
3-hexen-1-ol and trans-2-hexen-1-ol. Sensory analysis indicated the presence of a slight pungent flavour and
“freshly cut grass” aroma, with a slight bitter note given by the EVOO in the ice cream.
These findings could lead to the formulation of ice creams in which EVOO is used to partially replace milk fat,
with improvement of the nutritional profile, and designing new foods with innovative flavours.

Introduction 2009; Shaviklo et al., 2011; Sun-Waterhouse et al., 2013; Çam et al.,
2013;; Karazhian and Mahdian, 2013; Soukoulis and Tzia, 2018; Akalın
Ice cream is one of the most consumed dairy products worldwide. et al., 2018; Akdeniz and Akalın, 2019).
However, it is generally poor in functional ingredients, and it should be Some small manufacturer of artisanal gelato in Italy have proposed
consumed moderately due to its high content in simple sugars and li- new formulations for this product by including extra virgin olive oil
pids, which are also abundant in short-chain saturated fatty acids (Kurt (EVOO), due to its proved sensory and nutritional properties (Boskou,
and Atalar, 2018). Gelato is the Italian-style ice cream, which differs 2008; Servili et al., 2009). EVOO can be considered as the top product
from other ice creams for having little or no overrun, reduced amount among vegetable oils, and it is often regarded as a ‘functional in-
of stabilisers and emulsifiers, and generally lower in fat content com- gredient’ due to its health benefits given by the presence of phenolic
pared to other ice creams (Marshall et al., 2003). In addition, it uses antioxidants, tocopherols, squalene, phytosterols, as well as a ‘natural
fewer eggs or no eggs; it is also denser as it is churned at a lower speed flavouring agent’ due to its characteristic sensory properties (Boskou,
thus incorporating less air. 2008; Sacchi et al., 2014). EVOO adds unique sensory notes due to the
The interest in functional foods and new eating experiences, e.g. presence of hundreds of volatile compounds, but it is also characterised
innovative flavours (Van Kleef et al., 2002; Williams et al., 2005), has by a typical bitter and pungent taste given by seicoiridoid phenolic
been expanding over the years and it has fostered the design of new compounds (Servili et al., 2009), also referred to as “olive biophenols”
formulations to improve the nutritional properties of ice cream by using (Sivakumar and Uccella, 2010) and characterised by well-known
ingredients with enhanced health benefits, e.g. natural antioxidants, healthy properties (Vitaglione et al., 2015).
colorants, vitamins, proteins, low fat formulations and fats with im- Olive oil is rich in oleic acid, beneficial for the human health
proved fatty acids composition (Prindiville et al., 1999; Prindiville (Boskou, 2015). Health claims have been approved by the European
et al., 2000; Welty et al., 2001; Frøst et al., 2005; Liou and Grün, 2007; Food Safety Authority for its effect on the maintenance of normal blood
Hwang et al., 2009; Choo, Leong and Henna Lu, 2010; Soukoulis et al., cholesterol levels (EFSA, 2011b). In addition, the EFSA approved other

∗
Corresponding author. Department of Agricultural Sciences, Division of Food Science and Technology, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy.
∗∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (R. Sacchi), [email protected] (N. Caporaso).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2019.100173
Received 16 February 2019; Received in revised form 21 June 2019; Accepted 30 July 2019
Available online 30 July 2019
1878-450X/ © 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.
R. Sacchi, et al. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science 18 (2019) 100173

health claims related to i) the substitution of saturated fatty acids with

mono-unsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids, which has de-
monstrated benefits for the human health (EFSA, 2011c) and ii) the
health properties of olive biophenols (“Olive oil polyphenols contribute to
the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress”), when the biophenol
intake is above a minimum threshold (EFSA, 2011a). Thus, EVOO could
be a valuable ingredient for the development of new ice cream products
with innovative flavours and enhanced nutritional profile.
However, milk proteins are among the major constituents of ice
cream, and they are expected to interact with EVOO aroma compounds,
in an extent depending on the chemical properties of the volatile
compounds and the nature of the protein (Guichard, 2002; Meynier
et al., 2004). EVOO phenolic compounds have also been reported to
interact with some food proteins (Pripp et al., 2005; Genovese et al.,
2015), thus lowering its bitterness (Pripp et al., 2004). A strong bitter
taste could limit the use of EVOO as an ingredient in many food pro-
ducts because of the low consumers’ acceptance (McEwan, 1994;
Vitaglione et al., 2015), thus there could be a potential benefit in using
bitter EVOO in ice cream preparation, with an expected lowering of the
EVOO bitter-pungent note in this food system with, allowing high in-
take of functional biophenols.
This research aimed to verify the sensory and nutritional quality of
an Italian artisanal ice cream made by using EVOO as its key ingredient.
For this purpose, an artisanal ice cream was manufactured by adding an
EVOO characterised by a medium content of biophenols, a green-her-
baceous flavour and a medium bitter taste. The EVOO-ice cream was
then analysed to assess its sensory profile and chemical composition,
particularly its volatile and phenolic compounds, by comparing it to a
control ice cream made by following the same procedure but without
EVOO addition.

Materials and methods

Samples, chemicals and reagents

Fig. 1. Flow chart for the manufacturing of the artisanal extra virgin olive oil
ice cream (gelato) used in this experiment.
Gelato samples were produced by an artisanal ice-cream laboratory
(Vanilla Ice Lab, Maddaloni, Caserta, Italy). They were stored at −18 °C
and used within a week. A Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) performed in triplicate.
“Colline Salernitane” EVOO was supplied by Torretta olive mill
(Battipaglia, Salerno). The oil was obtained from three olive varieties
(Carpellese 50%, Frantoio 40% and Rotondella 10%) and its quality Extraction and analysis of phenolic compounds of EVOO
was checked according to the European standards (EEC Reg. 2568/91
and its subsequent amendments). Additionally, its phenolic composi- EVOO phenolic compounds were extracted and analysed as de-
tion was analysed by HPLC-DAD, volatile organic compounds by SPME- scribed by Sacchi et al. (2015). The quantification of individual phe-
GC/MS and antioxidant activity by the ABTS method, as detailed below. nolic compounds was carried out by HPLC-UV. A LC-10ADVP Shimadzu
The reagents and standards used for the analyses were the fol- HPLC (Kyoto) equipped with a UV–Vis Diode Array detector (Shimadzu
lowing: hexane (95%), methanol (99.9%), glacial acetic acid, diethyl mod. SPD-M10AVP, Kyoto) was used for the analysis. The analyses
ether, ethanol and distilled water were provided by Romil (Cambridge, were performed in triplicate.
England). Potassium iodide and sodium carbonate were supplied by
AppliChem (Darmsdadt, Germany). Sodium hydroxide, phenolphtha-
lein and starch solution were supplied by Titolchimica S.P.A (Rovigo, Ice cream preparation
Italy). Sodium thiosulphate and isobutyl acetate (99.8%) were supplied
by Fluka (Buchs, Switzerland). Chloroform was provided by LabScan The flow chart of the ice-cream manufacturing process applied is
(Dublin, Ireland). Potassium chloride was supplied by Farmalabor reported in Fig. 1. The control for ice cream was prepared in a pas-
(Pozzillo, Italy). ABTS and Trolox were provided by Sigma-Aldrich teurizer-emulsifier mixing at 4 °C: pasteurised milk (66.7% w/w), a
(Darmsdadt, Germany). milk cream containing 35% of fat (14.0% w/w) and a mix of powders
(19.3% w/w) consisting of skimmed milk powder, sucrose, dextrose,
Free acidity, peroxide value and ultraviolet absorbances (K232 and K270) of atomised glucose and thickeners (guar gum and carob flour). In the
EVOO pasteurizer, the mixture was heated up to 85 °C and then rapidly cooled
to 4 °C. An ageing phase of about 10 h was carried out, keeping the
EVOO samples were analysed to assess their acidity levels, peroxide mixture in slow stirring. During the aeration-freezing phase, the mix-
value (PV), K232, K270, and ΔK, in accordance to the EU official method ture was continuously stirred for 7–8 min at −8 ± 1 °C. Finally, the ice
(EEC Reg. 2568/91). Acidity was expressed as oleic acid percentage cream was cooled and stored at −18 °C. The EVOO-ice cream process,
(%); PV was expressed as meq O2 kg−1 oil. For the analysis of spec- the pasteurised-homogenized mixture was mixed with an addition of
trophotometric indices, an ultraviolet–visible UV-1601 spectro- 11.7% EVOO (w/w) and dextrose (3.9%), then it followed the same
photometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) was used. All the analyses were procedure as the control ice cream.

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R. Sacchi, et al. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science 18 (2019) 100173

Sensory analysis described by Welty et al. (2001). Five grams of sample were added in a
10 mL vial, and 10 μL isobutyl acetate (408 mg kg−1 in water) was used
Sensory analysis of the EVOO used in the preparation of the ice as the internal standard. The ice cream was collected from the centre of
cream was performed according to the official method (EEC Reg. 2568/ the original container, discarding the top 1 cm of the ice cream. After
91) to assess its market classification. In order to obtain a better de- the ice cream was melted at 25 °C for 10 min, a small stirring bar and
scription of the green notes detectable in the fruitiness, two additional potassium chloride (1.25 g) was added to the vial, which was tightly
descriptors were added to the original profile sheet, i.e. ‘green leaf’ and capped with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) septum. The content of
‘cut grass’. the vial was stirred vigorously for 1 min. The vial was then placed in a
Sensory analysis of the ice cream was carried out by 9 tasters trained 35 ± 1 °C stirring water bath for 45 min under moderate constant
for EVOO sensory assessment following the official method (EEC Reg. stirring (550 rpm). After 45 min, the prepared fibre was inserted
2568/91). Panel test was performed at the Department of Agricultural through the septum and fully exposed to the headspace for 15 min. The
Sciences, University of Naples Federico II (Italy). Several training ses- SPME device (Supelco Co., Bellefonte, USA) was equipped with a 50/
sions were carried out to define the sensory attributes; consensus was 30 μm thickness divinyl-benzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane
reached among the assessors on the following sensory attributes to be (DVB/CAR/PDMS) fibre coated with 1 cm length stationary phase. This
measured: ‘milk’ i.e. aromatics reminiscent of cow's milk; ‘cream’ i.e. fibre was chosen for best adsorption of the EVOO volatile compounds
aromatics reminiscent of cream or dairy fat; ‘sweetness’ i.e. funda- (Cavalli et al., 2003; Genovese et al., 2019).
mental taste sensation of which sucrose is typical; ‘olive fruity’ i.e. Volatile compounds were analysed by GC coupled with a mass
aromatics reminiscent of EVOO; ‘cut grass’ i.e. aromatics reminiscent of spectrometer according to Sacchi et al. (2015). A GC/MS Shimadzu
the green note of cut grass; ‘pungency’ i.e. fundamental taste sensation model QP5050A (Kyoto, Japan) was equipped with a Supelcowax-10
typical of chili pepper; ‘Bitter’ i.e. fundamental taste sensation given by capillary column (60 m, 0.32 mm i. d., 0.5 μm thickness) (Supelco Co.,
caffeine or quinine; ‘aromatic persistence’ i.e. the duration or con- Bellefonte, USA). Thermal desorption of volatile compounds was car-
tinuation of aroma after swallowing; ‘global aromatic intensity’ i.e. the ried out by putting the SPME fibre in the injector for 10 min. Tem-
overall intensity of ice cream aroma; ‘colour’; ‘meltdown’ i.e. the time perature was set at 40 °C for 4 min, followed by an increase of 3.5 °C
required for the product to melt in the mouth when continuously min−1 up to 240 °C, held for 3 min. The injector was kept at 230 °C.
pressed by the tongue against the palate; ‘viscosity’ i.e. the measure of Helium was used as carrier gas (1.4 mL min−1). Volatile compounds
flow as the product melts on the tongue when pressed between the thermal desorption was carried out by exposing SPME fibre in the in-
tongue and the palate; higher viscosity corresponds to higher scores.; jector for 10 min. The compound identification was performed by
‘fat feel’ i.e. refers to the intensity of the ‘oily’ or greasy feeling in the comparing retention times and mass spectra obtained by analysing pure
mouth when the product is manipulated between the tongue and the reference compounds in the same conditions. The identification was
palate; perceived fat content; ‘density’ i.e. the degree of compactness of further confirmed by comparing mass spectra with those of NIST da-
the sample when pressed between the tongue and palate; ‘iciness’ i.e. tabase. Mass spectra were recorded at 70 eV. In absence of standard
the immediate perception of crystal-like particles within the sample. compounds, a tentative identification was reported. The source tem-
Except for ‘olive fruity’, ‘cut grass’ and ‘pungency’ attributes, all these perature was 200 °C and the interface temperature was 230 °C. Quan-
descriptors are usually evaluated in ice cream (Thompson et al., 2009). tification was given in relation to the internal standard. Peak areas were
A 10-point intensity scale with a range of 0 (extremely low) to 10 calculated by using Labsolution acquisition system (GC-MS Solution
(extremely high) was used. version 1.20; Shimadzu, Kyoto). Before its use, the fibre was condi-
tioned at 270 °C for 1 h for the analysis. A blank test was performed
Measure of ice cream viscosity prior to each analysis to prevent the release of undesirable compounds.
All the analyses were performed in triplicate.
The viscosity of the melted control and EVOO ice cream samples
was determined by a rotational rheometer (HAAKE MARS 60, Thermo Statistical analysis
Scientific, Waltham, MA) equipped with a coaxial cylinders tool (in-
ternal diameter 25.08 mm; outer diameter 27.2 mm). The flow curves The statistical significance of the observed differences among ice
were carried out at 15 °C, in the shear rate range 0.001–10 s−1. Three cream samples was assessed for each chemical component by per-
replications for each sample were performed. forming a one-way ANOVA. Tukey's test was used to discriminate
among the means of the variables. Differences with p < 0.05 were
Extraction and analysis of phenolic compounds of ice cream considered significant. The data elaboration was carried out using
XLStat (version 2014.5.03), an add-in software package for Microsoft
The extraction of phenolic compounds from ice cream was per- Excel (Addinsoft Corp., Paris, France).
formed according to Pellegrini et al. (2006), slightly modified. One
gram of ice cream was mixed with 5 mL pure methanol and mixed for Results and discussion
15 min at room temperature, followed by a centrifugation at 2500 rpm
for 10 min (ALC, Milan, Italy). The hydro-alcoholic phase was then Table 1 reports the free acidity, peroxide value, ultraviolet indices
taken and filtered for the analysis on a 0.22 nm Mimex-GV filters (K232, K270, ΔK), phenolic compounds, and sensory attributes of the
(Millipore, Cork, Ireland). EVOO used for the ice cream preparation. Free acidity, peroxide value,
The quantification of individual phenolic compounds was carried K232, K270, and ΔK of all EVOO samples were within the law limits of
out by HPLC-UV analysis of the hydro-alcoholic extracts (Mateos et al., this market category (EC 2568/91). According to the sensory analysis,
2001). A LC-10ADVP Shimadzu HPLC (Kyoto) equipped with a UV–Vis EVOO was characterised by medium-intense olive fruitiness (5.7), bit-
Diode Array detector (Shimadzu mod. SPD-M10AVP, Kyoto) was used terness (4.5) and pungency (5.0) and a note green leaf (3.4) prevailing
for the analysis. The analyses were performed in triplicate. on the note of cut grass (1.9).
While EVOO pleasant aroma is due to the presence of volatile
Dynamic headspace (DHS) solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas compounds arising from the LOX pathway, its bitterness and pungency
chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of ice cream properties are mostly due to phenolic compounds (Caporale et al.,
2004; Kalua et al., 2007; Servili et al., 2009).
DHS-SPME-GC/MS was used for the analysis of volatile compounds The amount of total phenolic compounds measured in EVOO by
in ice-cream samples. The volatile compounds were extracted as HPLC was 228 ± 0.16 mg kg−1. Specifically, tyrosol (Ty) content was

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Table 1
Quality indices, phenolic compounds and sensory attributes for the extra virgin
olive oil used in ice cream production.
EVOO EVOO law limitsa

Quality indices
Acidity 0.34 ± 0.01 ≤0.8
Peroxide value 10.70 ± 0.04 < 20
K232 2.317 ± 0.110 ≤2.50
K270 0.149 ± 0.009 ≤0.22
ΔK −0.003 ± 0.001 ≤0.01

Phenolic compounds
OHTy 6.9 ± 0.1 –
Ty 9.8 ± 0.2 –
Cumaric acid 3.4 ± 0.1 –
OHTy-EDA 71.2 ± 0.2 –
Ty-EDA 60.3 ± 0.4 –
PR 32.3 ± 0.2 –
OHTy-EA 33.8 ± 0.8 –
Ty-EA 10.0 ± 1.0 –
Total phenolic compounds 228.0 ± 0.2 –

Sensory attributes
Pungency 5.0 –
Bitterness 4.5 –
Olive fruity 5.7 >0
Cut grass 1.9 –
Green leaf 3.4 –

a
EEC Reg. 2568/91 and further modifications. Acidity is expressed as oleic acid
equivalent (g/100 g). Peroxide value is expressed as meq O2 kg−1 oil. Phenolic
compounds content is expressed as mg kg−1. Values are the average of three
replicates of analysis (n = 3). OHTy, hydoxytyrosol; Ty, tyrosol; OHTy-EDA,
dialdehydic form of elenoic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol; Ty-EDA, dialdehydic
form of elenoic acid linked to tyrosol; PR, pinoresinol/acetoxypinoresol; OHTy-
EA, aldehydic form of elenoic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol; Ty-EA, aldehydic
form of elenoic acid linked to tyrosol. Sensory attributes are expressed as
median on an unstructured 0–10 scale.
Fig. 2. Sensory profiles of visual and physical sensations (A), and olfactory-
9.8 ± 0.2 mg kg−1, hydoxytyrosol (OHTy) 6.9 ± 0.1 mg kg−1, dia- taste characteristics (B) of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) ice cream compared to
ldehydic form of elenoic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol (OHTy-EDA or a blank sample without EVOO. Asterisks indicate statistically significant dif-
ferences (p < 0.05).
‘oleacein’) 71.2 ± 0.2 mg kg−1, dialdehydic form of elenoic acid
linked to tyrosol (Ty-EDA or ‘oleocanthal’) 60.3 ± 0.4 mg kg−1, alde-
hydic form of elenoic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol (OHTy-EA or food proteins by covalent and non-covalent binding, leading to a de-
‘oleuropein aglycone’) 33.8 ± 0.8 mg kg−1, aldehydic form of elenoic crease of bitterness perception (Pripp et al., 2005; Genovese et al.,
acid linked to tyrosol (Ty-EA or ‘ligstroside aglycone’) 2015). EVOO ice cream had a slightly higher “overall aroma” intensity
10.0 ± 1.0 mg kg−1, coumaric acid 3.4 ± 0.0 mg kg−1 and pinor- and “persistence” than the control.
esinol/acetoxy-pinoresinol (PR) 32.3 ± 0.2 mg kg−1.
Measure of viscosity
Sensory profile
EVOO ice cream had a higher viscosity than the control one. In
The results of the sensory analyses of the ice cream samples are particular, at shear rate of 1 s−1 EVOO ice cream viscosity was twice
shown in Fig. 2. The EVOO-ice cream had higher ‘colour’ intensity (0.044 Pa s) that of the control (0.022 Pa s). Despite the difference ob-
compared to the control ice cream (Fig. 2A). This was explained by the served in terms of instrumental viscosity, the values obtained by or-
typical colour of the EVOO used, which added a yellow note to the ice ganoleptic analysis were not significantly different.
cream. The perceived ‘viscosity’ of the EVOO-ice cream was not dif-
ferent compared to the control, while the difference in ‘fat feel’ per- Biophenols
ception was stronger.
Milk fat contributes significantly to the creamy flavour of ice-cream The total content of phenolic compounds measured in the EVOO-ice
(Marshall et al., 2003). In the EVOO ice cream the sensory perception of cream was 25 ± 0.9 mg kg−1. Specifically, it had 3.9 ± 0.0 mg kg−1
‘milk’ and ‘cream’ aromas was lower compared to the control, explained OHTy, 5.8 ± 0.2 mg kg−1 Ty, 4.6 ± 0.0 mg kg−1, 5.5 ± 0.5 mg kg−1
by the masking effect of the EVOO sensory notes (Fig. 2B). This latter OHTy-EA and 5.1 ± 0.3 mg kg−1 Ty-EA. Compounds such as coumaric
ingredient caused the appearance of intense ‘pungent’, ‘olive fruity’ and acid, Ty-EDA and PR were not detected in the ice cream, despite being
‘cut grass’ notes. The ‘green leaf’ note detected in EVOO (Table 1), found in the initial EVOO. In addition, the ratio between the com-
however, was not found in the EVOO ice cream and‘bitterness’ was pounds OHTy-EA and Ty-EDA in the functionalised ice cream was dif-
perceived with a very low intensity (0.8) compared to that of the added ferent from the bulk EVOO sample. The content of OHTy-EA was
EVOO (4.5) (Table 1). The low bitterness perception in the EVOO-ice 5.5 ± 0.5 mg kg−1, while PR was not found in the functionalised ice
cream may be related to the presence of sweet compounds, but also to cream, despite the content of these two molecules was similar in the
the interaction between EVOO phenolic compounds and milk proteins EVOO (32 and 33 mg kg−1). This finding could be related to the se-
(Pripp et al., 2004). Phenolic compounds are known to interact with lective interaction of these compounds with milk proteins (Pripp et al.,

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R. Sacchi, et al. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science 18 (2019) 100173

2005) and also explains the different ratio between ‘pungent’ and The most abundant compounds in the control ice cream were 2-buta-
‘bitter’ sensory attributes perceived in EVOO ice cream. The difference none, limonene and hexanal. These compounds mostly originate from
in oil/water partition for each biophenolic molecule can also contribute both the animal metabolism and the type of feed (Cadwallader and
in explaining these differences (Fogliano et al., 1999). Singh, 2009). Hexanal arising both from unsaturated fatty acid de-
As far as the nutritional functionality of EVOO ice-cream, con- gradation in milk (Asaduzzaman et al., 2017) and LOX activity in VOO
sidering a portion size for ice cream from 66 to 200 g, the potential and has been associated to positive sensory ‘green’ notes (Kalua et al.,
phenolic intake from one portion would be approximately 2–5 mg. This 2007). Volatile compounds in EVOO-ice cream were mostly represented
amount corresponds to approximately from 30 to 100% of the by ‘green odours’ like trans-2-hexenal (which was by far the most
minimum daily intake suggested by the European Food Safety abundant compound), 1-hexanol, cis-3-hexen-1-ol and trans-2-hexen-1-
Authority (EFSA) for virgin olive oil to exert its physiological function ol, whose contribution to the overall volatile profile was intense, as
in protecting blood lipids from oxidative stress (EFSA, 2011a). This their concentration was above 2.5 and 1.5 mg kg−1, respectively, while
confirms the potential nutritional benefits of an ice-cream containing the other compounds were found at concentrations below 0.5 mg kg−1.
EVOO with a medium level of seicoiridoid biophenols (200–300 mg kg- The volatile compounds arising from the added EVOO, represent the
1
) as ingredients. The use of a more ‘intense fruity’ EVOO characterised major contributors to the “green-grass” and “fruity” aroma (Kalua et al.,
also by a higher level of biophenols (400–800 mg kg−1), such as those 2007). A contribution to the astringent-bitter taste can be also attrib-
produced in Italy and Greece as monitored by specific projects (ARIS- uted to trans-2-hexen-1-ol (McEwan, 1994) and cis-3-hexen-1-ol
TOIL, 2019; Ager-2 COMPETiTiVE, 2017–2019), could allow reaching (Caporale et al., 2004). Other compounds previously reported in EVOO
the minimum intake suggested by the EFSA health claim when con- include 1-penten-3-one, 1-penten-3-ol, cis-2-hexenal and cis-2-penten-1-
suming a smaller ice-cream portion. ol, which were found in the EVOO-ice cream at relatively high abun-
The masking effect of EVOO bitterness and pungency, which are dance.
likely due to milk protein-biophenol interactions, suggests that increase
in EVOO biophenolic intake would be possible in the ice-cream (or Conclusions
other traditional Mediterranean food preparations and recipes) by using
the concept of food pairing (Caporaso and Formisano, 2016), to en- The results of this study demonstrated that the use of EVOO in the
hance acceptability and sensory preference, which is known to be ne- formulation of an Italian artisanal ice-cream (‘gelato’) caused significant
gatively influenced by bitterness (Cavallo et al., 2019). changes in the volatile profile, phenolic compounds, viscosity and
sensory attributes. This innovative EVOO-ice cream could be regarded
Volatile compounds as a ‘functional food’, due to the improved health benefits arising from
the added EVOO, which can be further modulated by the use of EVOOs
Volatile compounds quantified in the control and EVOO-ice cream with higher contents of biophenols.
are reported in Table 2, with the indication of their sensory attributes. The results herein presented also suggest an interaction between the

Table 2
Content of volatile compounds (μg kg−1) in control and EVOO-functionalised ice cream, with indication of their sensory descriptors.
Compound Sensory descriptor Origin* Control ice cream EVOO ice cream

Dimethyl sulphide Sulphurous, vegetable M 1.74 ± 0.34 a 2.36 ± 0.30 a

Octane Sweet, alkane M/EVOO 1.49 ± 0.16 a 8.97 ± 0.26 b
Ethyl acetate Pungent M/EVOO 6.47 ± 0.59 a 90.72 ± 6.56 b
2-Butanone Ethereal, fruity M 25.91 ± 3.78 a 32.39 ± 2.71 a
3-Methylbutanal Almond M/EVOO 2.54 ± 0.35 a 2.83 ± 0.23 a
Ethanol Fruity, sweet M/EVOO 1.65 ± 0.17 a 22.54 ± 1.96 b
Propyl acetate Celery M 5.91 ± 0.55 a 5.73 ± 0.44 a
2-Pentanone Alcohol, apple, banana, cheese M 2.31 ± 0.24 b NF a
3-Pentanone Fruity, green, sweet M/EVOO 2.38 ± 0.31 a 136.75 ± 13.00 b
1-Penten-3-one Pungent EVOO NF a 376.65 ± 20.38 b
Hexanal Green M/EVOO 13.97 ± 0.62 a 211.70 ± 4.68 b
trans-2-Pentenal Grass, bitter, almond EVOO NF a 53.17 ± 4.68 b
1-Penten-3-ol Olive oil, plastic EVOO NF a 439.68 ± 35.67 b
2-Heptanone Sweet, fruity M 7.03 ± 0.96 a 6.65 ± 0.60 a
Heptanal Oily, fatty, wood M/EVOO 1.68 ± 0.20 a 2.87 ± 0.23 b
3-Methyl-1-butanol Pungent M/EVOO 0.91 ± 0.10 a 12.68 ± 1.14 b
d-Limonene Citrus, floral M/EVOO 14.54 ± 1.88 b 10.48 ± 0.95 a
cis-2-Hexenal Green, fruity, sweet EVOO NF a 278.16 ± 10.22 b
tran-2-Hexenal Grass EVOO NF a 15,645.25 ± 708.8 b
1-Pentanol Pungent EVOO NF a 66.82 ± 1.72 b
Hexyl acetate Banana, fruity EVOO NF a 36.90 ± 0.18 b
Octanal Fatty, sharp, citrus-like, soapy M/EVOO 0.70 ± 0.09 a 10.80 ± 0.67 b
cis-2-Penten-1-ol Fatty, almond EVOO NF a 370.94 ± 21.47 b
cis-3-Hexenyl acetate Herbaceous, Banana EVOO NF a 85.93 ± 4.30 b
trans-2-Hexenyl acetate Apple, banana, grape fruity, herbaceous EVOO NF a 13.15 ± 0.53 b
trans-2-Heptenal Tallow, pungent EVOO NF a 36.75 ± 3.40 b
1-Hexanol Green, fruity, floral EVOO NF a 2844.71 ± 76.05 b
cis-3-Hexen-1-ol Fruity, herbaceous EVOO NF a 1826.97 ± 64.71 b
2-Nonanone Fruity, apple M 1.12 ± 0.09 b 0.36 ± 0.02 a
trans-2-Hexen-1-ol Fruity EVOO NF a 3922.44 ± 108.07 b

Values are the average of three replicates (n = 3), followed by the standard deviation.
Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).
∗
: M = Milk; EVOO = Extra virgin olive oil; M/EVOO = Milk and EVOO. The content is expressed as μg kg−1; for molecules deriving from the milk, it is expressed as
μg kg−1 of milk constituents in the ice cream sample, for those deriving from the oil they are μg kg−1 of oil, while for those originated from both from milk and oil
they are expressed as μg kg−1 of milk constituents and oil. NF = not found.

5
R. Sacchi, et al. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science 18 (2019) 100173

ice-cream matrix and the EVOO components, which could impact the 4334) and maintenance of normal (fasting) blood concentrations of triglycerides (ID
extractability of phenolic compounds but also influence the sensory 673, 4334) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA J. 9 (4),
2043.
perception of EVOO bitterness. As bitterness is usually associated to low EFSA, 2011c. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to the
consumer's acceptability, this “masking effect” in the ice-cream matrix replacement of mixtures of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) as present in foods or diets
would be beneficial in order to manufacture products with higher with mixtures of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and/or mixtures of poly-
unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and maintenance of normal blood LDL cholesterol
concentration of phenolic compounds without the risks of obtaining concentrations. (ID 621, 1190, 1203, 2906, 2910, 3065) pursuant to Article 13 (1) of
low consumer acceptability due to EVOO bitterness. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA J. 9 (4), 2069.
The industry could also look for other strategies of adding olive- Fogliano, V., Ritieni, A., Monti, S., Gallo, M., Della Medaglia, D., Ambrosino, M.L., Sacchi,
R., 1999. Antioxidant activity of virgin olive oil phenolic compounds in a micellar
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focus on the partial replacement of milk fat with EVOO by keeping measurement of dynamic flavour intensity in ice cream with different fat levels and
flavourings. Food Qual. Prefer. 16 (4), 305–314.
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Guichard, E., 2002. Interactions between flavor compounds and food ingredients and
All authors declare no conflict of interest. their influence on flavor perception. Food Rev. Int. 18 (1), 49–70.
Hwang, J.Y., Shyu, Y.S., Hsu, C.K., 2009. Grape wine lees improves the rheological and
adds antioxidant properties to ice cream. LWT - Food Sci. Technol. 42 (1), 312–318.
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