Effects of High‐Pressure Processing on Rheological and Physical Properties of Artisanal Ice Cream Mixes

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a nonthermal technology increasingly applied to food systems as a mild alternative to conventional heat treatments. The present study investigated the effects of HPP (600 MPa for 300 s) on the rheological, physical and thermal properties of three liquid gelato mixtures differing in composition: two water-based (lemon and mango) and one milk-based (pistachio) formulations. Rheological characterization was performed by oscillatory amplitude tests and temperature sweep analyses to evaluate viscoelastic behaviour and structural stability of the mixes. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to assess thermal transitions related to ice crystallization and melting behaviour. The physical properties of the resulting ice creams were evaluated in terms of overrun, texture parameters and melting resistance. HPP treatment did not induce significant modifications in the rheological or physical properties of the water-based formulations. In contrast, the pistachio mixture exhibited marked changes in structural properties, suggesting pressure-induced rearrangements of dairy proteins and fat globules. These structural modifications were reflected in the final product, which showed enhanced melting stability (reduction of weight loss of 88.49% on average after 30 min at 20°C) and improved mechanical resistance (higher hardness values and crossover of moduli G and G shifted to higher percentage of strain for HPP-treated pistachio samples). This study provides insight into the compositional factors governing pressure-induced modifications in ice cream systems and their technological implications. The findings highlight the potential of high-pressure processing applied on ice cream production process, in order to optimize artisanal gelato production by extending shelf life of liquid mixtures while enabling improved safety and quality retention.