Not least because of the heat waves of the last few weeks, people in Germany are noticing that summer has arrived. Ice cream helps to cool down! Whether in a tube, on a stick or in a squeeze bag – fruit and water ice creams are particularly popular with young and old in hot weather. But which ice cream can convince in terms of taste without using too much sugar?
Stiftung Warentest has inspected 25 fruit and water ice cream. As a rule, the consumer organization undertakes comprehensive product tests and then gives a quality assessment. Stiftung Warentest has chosen a narrower focus for ice cream products. How much sugar is contained, which flavorings and colorings are used – the results at a glance.
First of all, there is disappointing news: Only a few ice cream products in the test are refreshing with real fruit. Only four contain only fruit ingredients. In more than half, the manufacturers help with natural aroma additives, in eight foods non-natural, i.e. artificial aromas can be detected.
Stiftung Warentest notes that all flavorings in the test are approved as ingredients in food and are harmless to health. However, they would only imitate the taste of real fruit and therefore usually taste artificial. Fruit and water ice, which combines fruit additives with natural flavors, would in turn taste both fruity and artificial. The consumer organization cites Langnese’s Capri and Lidl’s Gelatelli as examples.
Compared to fatty vanilla or chocolate ice cream, fruit and water ice cream is lower in calories. But there is a lot of sugar in fruit ice cream – “In the test, the equivalent of up to 12 sugar cubes per 100 grams,” writes Stiftung Warentest. The sweetest chocolate ice cream, on the other hand, would have around nine pieces, and the sweetest vanilla ice cream would have almost ten pieces. Water ice contains the least sweetness and the fewest calories.
However, sugar does not only play a role in terms of taste. It lowers the freezing point in the ice cream and thus ensures the melting mouthfeel.
In the water and fruit ice cream test, the consumer organization assesses the amount of sugar per serving. This is where self-freezing ice cream can excel: some varieties are sold in small sizes, resulting in less sugar per serving. The exception is the scratching ice in the cup by Paul Braun Düsseldorf. The 200 milliliter portion contains around seven sugar cubes. That is neither “good” nor “satisfactory”, but “sufficient”, as Stiftung Warentest finds. Of the other products in the test, four more scored “sufficient” for sugar content.
A product receives the rating “poor”. The creamy Florida ice cream with tangerine flavor contains the equivalent of around 18 sugar cubes per 150 milliliter cup. A “sugar bomb”, as Stiftung Warentest writes.
These are the food colors azorubine (E 122) and cochineal red A (E 124). Although both substances are permitted, according to Stiftung Warentest, they are suspected of impairing children’s attention and activity. Products containing these dyes must carry a warning label. On the Paul Braun ice cream, however, the warning is only given for one E number.
Since this is not a usual analysis, there is no official test winner in the water and fruit ice cream test. However, two fruit ice creams convinced the Stiftung Warentest jury: Alnatura raspberry and Froobie strawberry. The two organic popsicles are available for EUR 2.08 and EUR 3.35 per 100 milliliters.
Alnatura and Froobie would score twice, writes the consumer organization. They contain a lot of fruit and relatively little sugar. In addition, both come without flavor additives and colorings.
Ice cream with a fruity aroma:
Naturally Flavored Ice Cream:
Non-natural flavored ice cream:
