Fat Replacers in Frozen Desserts: Functions, Challenges, and Strategies

Frozen desserts are highly valued for their creamy texture and rich mouthfeel, primarily due to their high-fat content. However, the increasing consumption of these products has raised concerns regarding excessive fat intake, which has been linked to health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, there is growing interest in developing fat replacers. Fat replacers can mimic the physicochemical and sensory properties of natural fats in frozen desserts, including texture, mouthfeel, and flavor interaction, providing a comparable experience with a reduced calorie content. However, fat reduction in frozen desserts often leads to undesirable changes, including reduced smoothness and creaminess, increased chalkiness, and the emergence of dark colors and off-flavors. To mitigate these challenges, various strategies have been explored, including optimizing the ratio of ingredients, incorporating masking flavors, modifying processing techniques, and blending with stabilizers. While existing reviews highlight the benefits of fat replacers, they often focus on limited frozen dessert types and provide insufficient insight into replacement mechanisms and improvement strategies. This review aims to bridge this gap by examining a wide range of frozen desserts, comprehensively analyzing protein-based, carbohydrate-based, lipid-based, and complex fat replacers, and detailing their mechanisms of action, application challenges, and effects on the final product quality. Additionally, strategies for enhancing the sensory attributes of reduced-fat frozen desserts and future directions are discussed, ultimately supporting the development of sustainable, healthier, and consumer-acceptable fat alternatives in the food industry.