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Course:FNH200/Assignments/2026/Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream

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Introduction

Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream is a popular ice cream option in Canada and the US made with sugar, Grade A milk and cream, and vanilla beans for its signature vanilla flavour. It is gluten-free, non-GMO and no artificial growth hormones are used on the cows.[1] It also has a 'no sugar added' alternative for consumers who do not want to consume high amounts of sugar.

Pictures of Product

Image 1: Beyers Creamery Style Natural Vanilla Ice Cream[2]
Image 2: Beyers No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream[3]
Image 3: Ingredients and Nutrition facts of Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream[4]
Image 4: Ingredients and Nutrition facts of Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream[5]

Ingredient lists

Ingredients

Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Milk
  • Cream
  • Sugar
  • Skim Milk
  • Tara Gum
  • Natural Flavour
  • Skim milk
  • Maltitol Syrup
  • Maltodextrin (corn)
  • Coconut Oil
  • Whey
  • Cream
  • Less than 2% of: Mono and Diglycerides
  • Guar Gum
  • Carob Bean Gum
  • Tara Gum
  • Natural Flavour
  • Acesulfame-K
  • Potassium
  • Sucralose
  • Annatto (for color)

Substitutes and Additives Used

Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream No Sugar Added
Fat Substitute Tara Gum Maltodextrin (Corn), Whey, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Tara Gum
Sugar Substitute None Maltitol Syrup, Acesulfame-K, Sucralose,
Additives Tara Gum Mono & Diglycerides, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Tara Gum, Maltitol Syrup, Acesulfame-K, Sucralose, Annatto (for colour)

Roles of Substitutes and Additives

Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream

Fat Substitute:

  • Tara gum: Tara gum is a galactomannan, made of mannose and galactose commonly used as a stabilizer, thickener and emulsifier in food. In ice cream, it controls ice crystal growth and meltdown, and provide good mouthfeel. It can also be used as a fat replacer in many food applications as it is low in calories.[6]

Sugar Substitute: None

Additives:

  • Tara gum: Tara gum is a galactomannan, made of mannose and galactose commonly used as a stabilizer, thickener and emulsifier in food. In ice cream, it controls ice crystal growth and meltdown, and provide good mouthfeel.[6]

Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream

Fat Substitute:

  • Maltodextrin (Corn): Maltodextrin is a white starchy powder that can be used as a carbohydrate-based fat replacer. When interacting with the water in the formulation, it can create a heat-stable, smooth gel that is similar to the texture and creamy mouth feels of fat. It also helps with the stabilization of ice cream by controlling the melting and increasing the freezing temperature.[7]
  • Whey: Whey protein is a protein derived from the watery portion of milk that separates from the curds when making cheese[8] that consists of 2 main components, β-lactoglobulin and α-lacalbumin. It can be used as an element of various types of colloidal particles, so it is suitable to be use as a fat substitute, hence why they are often called fat mimetics.[9]
  • Guar gum: Guar gum, is a natural polysaccharide that comes from the seeds of the guar plant. It can be used a thickening, gelling and stabilizing agent, as well as acting as a fat replacer. In ice cream, it can be used to contribute to the creamy, smooth texture, and help thicken the product.[10]
  • Carob bean gum: Carob bean gum is a plant based hydrocolloid extracted from the seed endosperm of the carob tree and natural additive that can be used as a stabilizer, emulsifier and fat replacer. In ice cream, its water binding properties is able to mimic fat and contribute to its creamy texture.[11]
  • Tara Gum: Tara gum is a galactomannan, made of mannose and galactose commonly used at a thickener and stabilizer in food. In ice cream, it controls ice crystal growth and meltdown, and provide good mouthfeel. It can also be used as a fat replacer in many food applications as it is low in calories.[6]

Sugar Substitute:

  • Maltitol syrup: Maltitol syrup is a carbohydrate sugar alcohol made by reducing maltose. It is incompletely digestible[12], and can be used as an alternative to sugar to having a sweetness close to that of sugar, but with less calories. [13]
  • Acesulfame-K: Acesulfame-K is a an artificial sweetener that is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Because of how much sweeter it is in comparison to sugar, it is used less in products, and thus, lowers the calories and carbohydrates amount. [14]
  • Sucralose: Sucralose, is an artificial sweetener made from real sugar, that is 600 times sweeter. It is able to pass through the body instead of being stored for later energy use, and has fewer calories due to parts of hydroxyl (sugar molecule) being swapped out for chlorine.[15]

Additives:

  • Mono & Diglycerides: Mono & diglycerides are a type of fat and used as stabilizing agents in ice cream mixes[16]
  • Guar gum: Guar gum, is a natural polysaccharide that comes from the seeds of the guar plant. It can be used a thickening, gelling and stabilizing agent, as well as acting as a fat replacer. In ice cream, it can be used as a stabilizing agent to contribute to the creamy, smooth texture, and help thicken the product.[10]
  • Carob bean gum: Carob bean gum is a plant based hydrocolloid extracted from the seed endosperm of the carob tree and natural additive that can be used as a stabilizer, emulsifier and fat replacer. In ice cream, it can enhance creaminess and controls ice crystal growth.[11]
  • Tara gum: Tara gum is a galactomannan, made of mannose and galactose commonly used as a stabilizer, thickener and emulfsifier in food. In ice cream, it controls ice crystal growth and meltdown, and provide good mouthfeel.[6]
  • Maltitol syrup: Maltitol syrup is a carbohydrate sugar alcohol made by reducing maltose. It is incompletely digestible[12], and can be used as an alternative to sugar to having a sweetness close to that of sugar, but with less calories. [13]
  • Acesulfame-K: Acesulfame-K is a an artificial sweetener that is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Because of how much sweeter it is in comparison to sugar, it is used less in products, and thus, lowers the calories and carbohydrates amount. [14]
  • Sucralose: Sucralose, is an artificial sweetener made from real sugar, that is 600 times sweeter. It is able to pass through the body instead of being stored for later energy use, and has fewer calories due to parts of hydroxyl (sugar molecule) being swapped out for chlorine.[15]
  • Annatto: Annatto is derived from achiote seeds and provides yellow-orange-red food colouring which comes from caretenoid pigments. It is used for colouring in ice cream.[17]

Compare and Contrast:

Similarities: Both products contain tara gum and it acts as a stabilizer, emulsifier and thickener. In both, tara gum also helps control ice crystal growth, reduce meltdown, and provide a smooth feeling in the mouth. As well as that, both products use additives to improve texture and stability. [6]

Differences: In Breyers Natural Vanilla, tara gum is the only listed fat substitute and additive. However, in Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla, along with tara gum, It contains maltodextrin, whey protein, guar gum, and carob bean gum as fat substitutes/additives to decrease its caloric intake and compensate for the reduction of cream. Furthermore, It contains maltitol syrup, acesulfame-K, and surculose as sugar substitutes to keep the sweet sensation without the excessive calories. It also has other additives: mono & diglycerides and annatto for colouring. Breyers Natural Vanilla has a simpler list of substitutes and additives while Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla has a wider variety to replace the functions of sugar and fat.

Labels

Both products meet the mandatory labelling requirements as outlined in the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and the Food and Drug Regulations.[18] The two products clearly display the common name of the food as well as the net quantity of the product, both at 1.5Quart or 1.41Litres. They include bilingual labelling, with mandatory information provided in English and French. Both labels contain an ingredient list arranged in descending order by weight. Their nutrition facts table display the serving size, calories, the amount of fat, saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The Natural Vanilla packaging says it used fresh cream and real vanilla beans whereas the No Sugar Added says vanilla flavour with other natural flavours. The No Sugar Added version states that it has no sugar added which reflects the use of sugar substitutes but also that it is not claiming to be a low calorie food, along with a gluten free label, number of calories, percent of saturated fat, amount of sodium, and sugars all on the front of the packaging. The No Sugar Added version also states the amount of sugar alcohols in its nutrition facts table. Both versions have a milk allergen declaration, the identity and location of the manufacturer (Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 USA), and have storage instructions for consumers (keep in the freezer). In addition, both products display the Rainforest Alliance logo to reflect how the vanilla was sourced from farms that meet certain sustainability standards.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Breyers Natural Vanilla". Breyers.
  2. ↑ "Breyers Creamery Style Natural Vanilla Ice Cream". Magnum Ice Cream Company.
  3. ↑ "Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla 1.41L". Magnum Ice Cream Company.
  4. ↑ "Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream, 1.5 Quart". Fairway Market.
  5. ↑ "Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla Frozen Dairy Dessert - 1.5 Quart". Smart and Final.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Han, James (December 22, 2019). "What is Tara Gum (E417) in ice cream: Common Uses, Safety, Side Effects". Food Additives.
  7. ↑ Frank, Jill (March 27, 2015). "Adaptable Maltodextrin: 5 Potential Uses in Food Formulations". Ultrus.
  8. ↑ "Whey Protein - Uses, Side Effects, and More". WebMD.
  9. ↑ "The effect of fat replacement by whey protein microcoagulates on the physicochemical properties and microstructure of acid casein model processed cheese". ScienceDirect.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "How Guar Gum Works as a Fat Replacer in Low-Calorie Food Formulations?". Abdullabhai Abdul Kader.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sharma, Brij Raj (June 17, 2025). "Locust Bean Gum vs Guar Gum: Key Differences and Uses in the Food Industry". Sunita Hydrocolloids Inc.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Dolson, Laura (July 9, 2024). "Is Maltitol a Safe Alternative Sweetener?". verywellfit.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Olson, Natalie (October 9, 2019). "Is Maltitol a Safe Sugar Substitute?". healthline.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ansari, Sadiya. "February 1, 2026". WebMD.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "What to Know About Sucralose". WebMD. July 12, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Canadian Food Additives Database from Health Canada".
  17. ↑ "Annatto".
  18. ↑ "Labelling requirements for dairy products". Government of canada. May 28, 2026. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Using Our Logo and Seal". Rainforest Alliance. December 11, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2026.


This Food Science resource was created by Course:FNH200.
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