This research aimed to develop a low-saturated ingredient as substitute of saturated fats by structuring lipids through a simple enzymatic glycerolysis process. To this purpose, peanut oil (10 g) was mixed with glycerol (1:1 molar ratio) and lipase (0.4 g). The glycerolysis reaction was carried out for 16 h at 65°C under constant stirring. The obtained structured lipid was then used as a fat source in a mixture for the production of ice cream. The mixtures obtained with structured and unstructured peanut oil were compared to a classical cream-based mixture in terms of particle size and ?-potential. Afterward, the obtained ice creams were assessed based on their physical properties during melting and textural attributes. Glycerolysis of peanut oil reduced the particle size of the formed mixtures, which later created ice creams with a slower melting rate (0.044 g·min-1) compared to the peanut oil-based formulation (0.77 g·min-1). Similar dripping times were measured for the structured-lipid (60.33 ± 1.2 min) and the cream-based (65.00 ± 1.6 min) ice creams. Moreover, the firmness and consistency of the ice cream made with the structured lipid were not significantly different (p < 0.05) compared to the traditional cream-based product. Overall, the results of the present study clearly indicated that structured lipids could be used as ingredient in ice cream production, paving the way for a partial replacement of saturated fats in food formulations.
