Gelato is your passion, but are you on a diet? Do you love sweets but are forced to eat foods with low sugar content and therefore low glycemic index due to diabetes or other pathologies? Or are you a gelato maker looking for an idea to make your gelato less sweet and suitable for everyone, attracting new customers?
This delicious and very Italian dessert is not just a delicacy, but can also be a nutritious and healthy snack.
In this article we will talk about low sugar gelato, we will delve into the choice and use of the best key ingredients and we will dispel some myths.
Sugar-free gelato
Is sugar-free gelato possible? The answer we receive from industry experts is very clear: unfortunately no. If it is possible to exclude fats and lactose, it is unthinkable to prepare a good gelato without the use of sweeteners.
The sugars in gelato and ice cream perform a very important function, which is not only to sweeten, but also to avoid freezing of the aqueous part and lactose, giving creaminess to the product.
The good news, however, is that it is possible to prepare a low-sugar gelato, which will be just as delicious, but providing fewer calories and maintaining a lower glycemic index.
How to prepare low glycemic index gelato?
An effective way to make low glycemic index gelato is to use a mixture of dextrose and fructose, two natural sweeteners that are very common in gelato making.
Let’s see their main characteristics…
Dextrose, or d-glucose, can be used in gelato making and is highly appreciated, thanks to its ability to make gelato and ice cream soft.
It can in fact lower the freezing temperature much more than sucrose, but has a lower sweetening power.
Dextrose in gelato therefore – if used in a percentage equal to 10-15% – will contribute to obtaining a soft and creamy gelato, but less sweet and less caloric, i.e. a light gelato!
Fructose, on the other hand, is the sugar naturally present in fruit and – like dextrose – is normally extracted from corn.
This natural sweetener has organoleptic characteristics that are ideal for the preparation of gelato, in particular fruit sorbets because it enhances their flavor.
Fructose has chemical-physical characteristics very similar to those of sucrose, but its great point in favor is its high sweetening power, much higher to that of traditional sugar, i.e. sucrose.
In essence, to obtain the same level of sweetness it will be enough to add a lower percentage of fructose when preparing the gelato, obtaining a product with fewer calories, with a lower glycemic index, but utterly tasty, and again a lighter and healthier diet gelato!
Studies and tests were also conducted on gelato with erythritol by sector professionals and the result was decidedly positive.
Erythritol is a sweetener of natural origin and deserves a special mention as, in addition to reducing calorie intake, it improves resistance to melting and considerably increases the volume of gelato.
Therefore, if formulated also with other sugars, erythritol gelato not only has a low glycemic index, but it is also creamy and firm.
Gelato with stevia
Gelato with stevia is among the latest innovations in the ice cream and gelato sector. This natural, low-calorie sweetener is obtained from the extract of a small plant native to South America known as Stevia Rebaudiana.
Stevia is known for its sweetening power, which exceeds that of sucrose by 300 times, but with a zero calorie intake.
Precisely for this reason, gelato (and ice cream) with stevia is in all respects a low-calorie gelato with an almost zero glycemic index.
Unfortunately, stevia does not have antifreezing properties, therefore gelato with stevia, if not prepared also with other sugars, is rather liquid and does not have the typical creaminess and spreadability that are so appreciated in traditional gelato.
Furthermore, stevia alone has a fairly strong licorice aftertaste that is not easy to mask. So how can we overcome this problem?
A solution to obtain a low-calorie (but creamy) stevia gelato is to add other low-calorie sweeteners to the preparation, such as maltodextrins.
While, to overcome the licorice aftertaste problem, rebaudioside A can be used, a sweetener derived from stevia that doesn’t have an aftertaste.
So, by carefully balancing the recipe you will obtain a gelato with stevia with optimal nutritional values for those who wish to avoid sucrose, while maintaining spreadability and taste, both for fruit and cream-based gelato flavors.
Gelato with grape sugar
As we have already said, although it is unthinkable to obtain a sugar-free gelato or ice cream, it is instead possible to prepare a product with a low sugar content, using a series of natural sweeteners, alternatives to sucrose.
Crystalline grape sugar is one of these and – indeed – it probably represents one of the best alternatives for gelato making, let’s see why.
This natural sugar, also commercially known by the acronym MCRs (Solid Rectified Concentrated Must), is obtained by refining the must, through a crystallization process and is made up of two carbohydrates: dextrose and fructose.
The high sweetening power of these two disaccharides allows you to use an even smaller quantity of sugar, obtaining less sweet gelato and sorbets, with a low glycemic index.
Among the main advantages of using grape sugar for the preparation of low glycemic index gelato, we list the following:
- Excellent organoleptic qualities, gives a fruity and natural flavor
- Lowers the freezing point
- Gives a creamy and soft texture
- High sweetening power
- Reduces processing times
- 100% natural origin
- Also suitable for sorbets
We can therefore establish that crystalline grape sugar is ideal for the preparation of a natural, genuine and tasty gelato, with fewer calories, less sugar and with a lower glycemic index.
If you are interested in this ingredient, read the article dedicated entirely to grape sugar.
In conclusion, gelato does not necessarily have to be a food to be avoided and feared by those who follow a low-sugar diet, or by athletes and fitness enthusiasts who follow a sports diet or care about their figure.
If prepared in the right way, and consumed in moderation, a good gelato can be a nutritious and invigorating snack.
So let’s savor this delight without guilt: enjoy your gelato everyone!
