Sweet buttermilk, a by-product of butter production, remains highly underutilized despite containing some relevant components (i.e., phospholipids) that may have a high biological value and may exert some positive technological functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using ultrafiltered (UF) sweet buttermilk at different volume reduction ratios (3 and 5) to replace emulsifiers and/or stabilizers in the production of a novel clean-label ice cream formulation made with sweet buttermilk-based mixtures. The functional, thermo-rheological, and sensory profile of four types of ice creams was investigated. Increasing the degree of sweet buttermilk concentration positively influenced the overrun values and at the same time improved the ice cream’s resistance to melting. Also, the thermo-rheological profile during melting was influenced by the presence of UF buttermilk. These differences in techno-functional properties were probably partly caused by the different total phospholipids content caused by UF buttermilk. Some sensory properties (i.e., structure, consistency) were positively related to the utilization of UF buttermilk, while aroma and taste were negatively influenced. This study demonstrated that UF buttermilk can be used as an additive replacer in ice cream production because it enhances the structural and rheological properties of the final product.

This work aimed to study the flux behavior, rejection and concentration factors, and energy demand to establish the optimal conditions during ultrafiltration of sweet buttermilk to produce ice cream. The experiments were conducted with a UF25-PAN membrane at a transmembrane pressure of 0.2, 0.35 and 0.5 MPa, and a volume reduction ratio (VRR) of 2, 3, 4, and 5. Total protein, fat, ash, and dry matter contents, phospholipid composition, and acidity of retentates and permeate were determined. The increase in the VRR led to a decrease in the permeate flux and an increase in the energy demand, rejection, and concentration factors of the main components of sweet buttermilk. The highest values of rejection and concentration factors established for fat were 98.65% and 4.93, respectively. The permeate flux and energy demand increased with the rise in the transmembrane pressure. The total phospholipids increased 2.8 times at VRR 5 compared to the initial buttermilk. The use of VRR 3 gave the best ratio between the permeate flux, the energy demand, and relatively high values of concentration and rejection factors. The use of VRR 5 will enrich the ice cream to the greatest extent to obtain a product with the highest level of biologically active substances (proteins, phospholipids, minerals).