Integrated evaluation of nutritional and sensory quality in cow–goat milk ıce creams: A novel Nutritional–Sensory Optimization Index (NSOI)

Abstract

This study presents a formulation-oriented approach for the simultaneous optimization of nutritional quality and sensory acceptance in cow–goat milk ice cream. To this end, a novel Nutritional–Sensory Optimization Index (NSOI) was developed to integrate nutritional quality and sensory performance into a single evaluation metric and applied to ice cream formulations produced from pure goat milk, pure cow milk, and their blends containing 10–50% cow milk. Significant differences among formulations (p < 0.05) demonstrated the complementary nutritional characteristics of the two milk sources. Pure goat milk ice cream exhibited the highest levels of medium-chain fatty acids (ΣMCFA, 17.16%), saturated fatty acids (ΣSFA, 72.57%), and essential amino acids (ΣEAA, 1796.33 mg/100 g), whereas pure cow milk ice cream showed the highest monounsaturated fatty acid content (ΣMUFA, 34.00%) together with the lowest atherogenicity (AI, 2.09) and thrombogenicity (TI, 2.87) indices. The NSOI identified the 50:50 and 40:60 cow–goat milk blends as the most balanced formulations in terms of nutritional quality and sensory performance. The findings indicate that optimal product performance is achieved not by maximizing a single quality attribute but by balancing nutritional and sensory quality indices. Owing to its reconfigurable weighting scheme, the NSOI provides an adaptable decision-support framework for functional dairy products and other nutritionally enhanced food systems.

Keywords

• Cow–goat milk blending
• Fatty acid composition
• Amino acid profile
• Functional dairy products
• Nutritional–Sensory Optimization Index (NSOI)
• Formulation-driven optimization

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (Decision No: 2026/3; Decision Date: March 25, 2026). All sensory evaluation procedures involving human participants were conducted in accordance with institutional ethical guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their inclusion in the sensory evaluation. Participation was entirely voluntary, and all participant information was kept confidential and evaluated anonymously throughout the study. The raw cow and goat milk used in this study were obtained as commercial food-grade products from authorized commercial suppliers. No direct sampling from animals, biological sampling, or invasive procedures were performed by the researchers. Therefore, no additional animal sampling permission or collection permit was required for the study.

İnek–keçi sütü dondurmalarında besinsel ve duyusal kalitenin entegre değerlendirilmesi: Yeni bir Besin–Duyusal Optimizasyon İndeksi (BDOI)

Abstract

Bu çalışma, inek–keçi sütü dondurmasında besinsel kalite ile duyusal kabulün eşzamanlı olarak optimize edilmesine yönelik formülasyon odaklı bir yaklaşım sunmaktadır. Bu amaçla, besinsel kalite ve duyusal performansı tek bir değerlendirme ölçütünde bütünleştiren yeni bir Besinsel–Duyusal Optimizasyon İndeksi (BDOI) geliştirilmiş ve saf keçi sütü, saf inek sütü ile bunların farklı oranlardaki karışımlarından (%10–50 inek sütü) üretilen dondurma formülasyonlarına uygulanmıştır. Formülasyonlar arasında gözlenen anlamlı farklılıklar (p < 0,05), iki süt kaynağının tamamlayıcı besinsel özelliklerini ortaya koymuştur. Saf keçi sütü dondurması en yüksek orta zincirli yağ asitleri (ΣMCFA, %17,16), doymuş yağ asitleri (ΣSFA, %72,57) ve esansiyel amino asitler (ΣEAA, 1796,33 mg/100 g) düzeylerine sahip olurken, saf inek sütü dondurması en yüksek tekli doymamış yağ asidi (ΣMUFA, %34,00) içeriği ile en düşük aterojenite (AI, 2,09) ve trombogenite (TI, 2,87) indekslerini göstermiştir. BDOI, %50:%50 ve %40:%60 inek–keçi sütü kombinasyonlarını besinsel kalite ile duyusal performans arasında en dengeli formülasyonlar olarak belirlemiştir. Bulgular, optimum ürün performansının tek bir kalite özelliğinin en üst düzeye çıkarılmasıyla değil, besinsel ve duyusal kalite indekslerinin dengeli biçimde bütünleştirilmesiyle sağlandığını göstermektedir. BDOI, yeniden tanımlanabilir ağırlıklandırma yapısı sayesinde fonksiyonel süt ürünleri ve besin değeri artırılmış diğer gıda sistemlerine uyarlanabilir bir karar destek çerçevesi sunmaktadır.

Keywords

• İnek-keçi sütü karışımı
• Yağ asidi bileşimi
• Amino asit profili
• Fonksiyonel süt ürünleri
• Beslenme-Duyusal Optimizasyon İndeksi (NSOI)
• Formülasyon odaklı optimizasyon

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma, İstanbul Sabahattin Zaim Üniversitesi Etik Kurulu tarafından onaylanmıştır (Karar No: 2026/3; Karar Tarihi: 25 Mart 2026). İnsan katılımcıları içeren tüm duyusal değerlendirme uygulamaları, kurumun etik ilkeleri ve Helsinki Bildirgesi doğrultusunda yürütülmüştür. Duyusal değerlendirmeye katılan tüm katılımcılardan, çalışmaya başlamadan önce aydınlatılmış gönüllü onam alınmıştır. Katılım tamamen gönüllülük esasına dayanmış olup, çalışma süresince tüm katılımcılara ait bilgiler gizli tutulmuş ve anonim olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada kullanılan çiğ inek ve keçi sütü, yetkili ticari tedarikçilerden gıda amaçlı ticari ürün olarak temin edilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında araştırmacılar tarafından hayvanlardan doğrudan numune alınmamış, herhangi bir biyolojik örnekleme veya invaziv işlem uygulanmamıştır. Bu nedenle, çalışma için ek bir hayvan numune alma izni veya örnek toplama ruhsatı gerekmemiştir.

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