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27.07.2018 - Foods

Ökotest: Much Ado About Vanilla Ice Cream

In the July 2018 issue of Öko-Test, 19 vanilla ice cream bulk packs, including 4 organic products, were tested. The following test parameters were examined:

• Vanilla Flavor
  The products were checked to see if natural vanilla flavor was used and how much vanilla was contained in the ice cream.
• Selection of Ingredients
  The ingredients used were evaluated based on the ingredients list: Coconut fat is particularly added to milk fat, and cheaper glucose or glucose-fructose syrup is used instead of sugar.
• Air
  In most products, the ice cream is whipped with more than 100% air, thus nearly doubling the volume. Ökotest considers two things critical in this regard: energy, fat, and sugar content are indicated by the manufacturer per 100 ml, although it is usually no more than 50 grams of ice cream, making these values appear lower. Additionally, the price is also based on 100 ml of ice cream.
• Mineral Oil: MOSH/POSH
  MOSH refers to saturated hydrocarbons from mineral oil, while POSH are saturated hydrocarbons that can migrate into foods as oligomers from polyolefins (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene) and related products. With the exception of one organic vanilla ice cream, traces to elevated levels of MOSH/POSH were found.

Frequent downgrades or unsatisfactory ratings were mainly due to:

• Products containing almost no vanilla. In two vanilla ice creams, the low vanilla content was boosted with added flavorings such as piperonal and 3-methylcyclopentan-1,2-dione.
• In all vanilla ice cream products, the sugar content was increased, with the leader containing 24g of sugar per 100g.
• In eight brands, including the four organic products, only milk fat was used. Coconut fat was added to the others.
• In one product, significantly elevated levels of MOSH/POSH were found, and in another product, elevated levels along with MOAH were determined. MOAH refers to a group of aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons, some of which are carcinogenic.
• Further deductions were made for
  • portions selected too small
  • nutritional value calculations given per 100ml instead of per 100g
  • pictorial representations of vanilla pods or flowers with low vanilla content
  • a manufacturer calling its product "Cremissimo," although it contains no milk fat (this contradicts the concept of ice cream as per the guidelines for ice cream)

More detailed information on the test series can be found in the Öko-Test magazine No. 07/2018.

Our customer advisors are very happy to assist you with any questions you may have.

Source: Öko-Test No. 03/2018 - www.oekotest.de