Effect of ionic gelation and spray chilling microencapsulation on physicochemical, rheological and sensory properties of green tea polyphenol‐enriched ice cream ( Camellia sinensis )

Background, Context or Rationale Incorporating polyphenols into dairy products has gained increasing attention due to their antioxidant capacity and potential health benefits. However, direct addition is limited by instability during processing and sensory incompatibility. Microencapsulation represents a promising strategy to overcome these barriers, yet comparative studies evaluating different encapsulation systems in frozen dairy matrices remain scarce. Aim(s) This study investigated the incorporation of green tea extract microencapsulated by ionic gelation or spray chilling into vanilla ice cream, comparing the effects of both systems on physicochemical, rheological and sensory properties, as well as total polyphenol content (TPC). Methods Three formulations were produced under identical processing conditions: a control and two treatments containing ionic gelation microparticles or lipid microparticles obtained by spray chilling. Ice cream mixes were evaluated for overrun, melting behaviour, viscosity‐related properties, TPC and consumer acceptance under blind and informed tasting conditions. Major Findings Both encapsulation systems significantly increased TPC compared with the control, with gains of 87.0% for ionic gelation ice cream (IGIC) and 59.5% for lipid microparticle ice cream (LPIC). Microparticle addition reduced overrun from 32.7% (control) to 29.8% (IGIC) and 22.2% (LPIC) and modified melting behaviour and rheological parameters. Ionic gelation ice cream produced stronger gel‐like structures with higher consistency and elastic behaviour, while LPIC better preserved desirable textural attributes. Sensory scores were higher for LPIC (mean 7.3–7.4) than for IGIC (5.8–6.3). Under informed conditions, LPIC showed a statistically significant increase in acceptance, while IGIC exhibited only a numerical trend towards higher scores (mean 5.8 → 6.3; P > 0.05), not reaching statistical significance. Scientific or Industrial Implications Microencapsulation proved effective for delivering polyphenols in ice cream without compromising product viability. Spray chilling emerged as the more industrially applicable system due to better sensory performance, supporting the development of functional frozen desserts with enhanced TPC and acceptable market quality.