Firmness — sensory
No significant differences in firmness were detected between samples (Table 3) and there was a low correlation between sensory firmness and fat level (Table 4). The texture of ice creams where the levels of fat and total solids have been lowered (ice creams similar in composition to LF and FF) has been reported to be firmer than for samples of higher fat and total solids (Bodyfelt et al., 1988). This is due to the higher levels of ice and hence the lower levels of crystallized milk fat, which is a softer component than ice. The modified starch used in the reduced fat samples was effective in mimicking the firmness of samples of higher fat content. The firmness of the second trial for FF (not included in the statistical comparison) is of note in that the panellists assigned a high value (11.8), suggesting that it was not able to inhibit the formation of ice crystals as was the case with the other samples.