Whey protein isolate breakthrough in low fat ice cream

Innovative use of whey protein isolate (WPI) has helped US retailer Safeway create an own-label rival to branded 'slow-churn' low fat ice creams at a fraction of the cost.

Product development boss Sam Adapa said: "In 2005, Dreyer's and Unilever came out with slow-churn products made using ultra-low temperature extrusion. This allowed them to make low-fat ice cream with the mouthfeel and texture of a full fat product. We wanted to compete with them without the capital investment, so we looked at how we could get a similar result using conventional processing technology and novel ingredients."

The result: Safeway Select Churned Rich & Creamy - a 5-6% fat ice cream with the taste and texture of a 10-12% fat ice cream and 33% fewer calories, has been a big success, he said. "What makes it work is the combination of WPI and our unique stabilising system."