Functional replacement of shortening with coconut oil in mellorine: Impacts on texture, melting resistance, foam structure, and sensory quality

• Refined coconut oil enhanced the mellorine texture and melting resistance. • Coconut oil improved viscosity and produced a uniform foam microstructure. • Replacement with coconut oil reduced trans fatty acids and increased MCFAs. • Mellorine containing coconut oil gained higher consumer acceptance. • A 50% coconut oil substitution yielded optimal product performance. Refined coconut oil (CO) has the potential to be a fat source for mellorine or imitative ice cream due to its ideal melting point, texture, and desired sensorial attributes. The present study used refined CO as a conventional oil substitute to enhance melting resistance and remove quality deficiencies in ice cream products related to poor stability during transport. This study investigated the impact of refined CO as a substitute in different ranges for shortening in mellorine by analyzing fatty acid and triglyceride profiles, melting point, overrun, total solids, color, microstructure, viscosity, texture, and sensory properties. Results demonstrated that higher proportions of refined CO significantly improved the physicochemical characteristics of the mellorine, including increases in overrun, total solids, and melting point to 124 %, 43.49 % w/w, and 3°C, respectively ( P < 0.05). Refined CO affected the microstructure by creating smaller air cells and further uniform distributions of the components, leading to more consistent and stable foam. Increased contents of the refined CO enhanced the viscosity and improved the texture of the mellorine. Sensory evaluations showed that the consumers well-accepted the substitution of shortening with refined CO, leading to improved color, taste, mouthfeel, and aftertaste of the mellorine. In conclusion, the optimal refined CO substitution was 50%, as shown by our experiments. Overall, refined CO was verified as an effective substitute for conventional mellorine oil, enhancing product melting resistance, texture, and sensory quality. This substitution could result in more stable products during transportation and heat, while improving consumer appeal.