Recovery of milk fat from waste ice cream through ethanol-induced emulsion destabilisation

The ice cream industry generates considerable waste due to stringent quality standards and food safety regulations, creating resource recovery opportunities. This study aimed to develop an efficient method for recovering high-purity fat from ice cream wastes using ethanol-induced emulsion destabilisation. Ice cream was treated with varying ethanol concentrations (0%–50% w/w in water) and incubated at different temperatures. Increased ethanol and temperature accelerated the separation of melted ice cream into phases (transparent liquid, continuous fat and opaque solid). Notably, 25% ethanol facilitated complete fat separation as a highly pure (>93%) phase, with the fat content exceeding 98% on a dry basis. Fat quality remained intact, as neither ethanol nor temperature affected fat hydrolysis or oxidation, based on peroxide value, free fatty acid levels and p-anisidine results. The recovered fat represented about 50% of the original fat content in the ice cream, reducing waste and enhancing by-product value.