Techno-Economic Analysis of Healthy Herbal Ice Cream Product

Gynura procumbens (longevity spinach) is typically used in Asian folk medicine to treat inflammation and rheumatism. Studies show that Gynura procumbens has many applications, especially as a therapeutic medicine for antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, organ protective, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, anti-cancer, and fertility enhancement. The consumption of ice cream in Indonesia is increasing each year. Most consumers perceive ice cream as a sweet treat, with indulgence the most important trend in the market. Adding herbal ingredients to ice cream can address several consumer problems, such as high sugar intake, and provide the health benefits of herbals with ease of consumption. This study examines the techno-economic analysis of a healthy herbal ice cream product that can not only provide herbals in a trendy mode of consumption but can also address the problems that occur from consuming ice cream. The formulation of the supplement consists of longevity spinach 5%, skim milk 69.75%, extract flavor 0.6%, sugar 3.25%, salt 1%, lecithin 20%, and food coloring 0.4%. The manufacturing process consists of a typical ice cream production line with Gynura procumbens pretreatment at the start. The plant designed will produce 57,734 jars per day with a price of Rp 5,066 for each jar. The capital investment of our plant is Rp 10,305,160,564. We gain Rp 77,216,401,229 per year, with IRR as high as 46%. Our NPV is Rp 21,819,500,900 with a payback period of 2.24 years. Our product is relatively sensitive to the selling price and the price of the raw materials.

Flavonoid; Gynura procumbens; Herbal; Ice cream; Polyphenols

Ice cream is a mixture of mainly dairy ingredients and ingredients for sweetening and flavoring, such as fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips. American-style ice creams are churned quickly to whip in plenty of air. The air portion of the product is called overrun, held by the high proportion of cream in the base. Most luxury ice creams have an overrun of around 25%, which means they have increased the mix in volume by 25%. Cheaper commercial versions can run from 50% to over 90%, which gives them a light, thin, fast-melting texture with fewer flavors (Morelli’s Gelato, 2017). The ice cream market in Indonesia forecasted growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8% during 2014–2019 (Canadean, 2015). The volume consumption of ice cream products has reached 158 million kg in 2018 and forecasted to grow by 16% per year until 2020 with the market value reached Rp19.8 trillion (Ciptadana Sekuritas Asia, 2018).

However, ice cream can harm health for several reasons. First, it has a high sugar content, and up to 12 to 16% of its compositions are sweeteners such as sucrose and corn syrup. Second, it also has a high fat content: in some cases, ice cream contains 16% fat. Third, the lack of fiber in ice cream can lead to constipation and weight gain. Finally, the usage of additives such as preservatives, artificial flavoring, and artificial coloring can lead to an allergic reaction of the consumer, and the chemical compounds can accumulate inside the body (Marshall et al., 2012).

Longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens) is an evergreen shrub found abundantly in tropical Asia, especially Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, which is of considerable medicinal and culinary value but is still mostly unknown outside those regions (Mou and Dash, 2016). Longevity spinach’s beneficial properties have been attributed to bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, unsaturated sterols, triterpenoid, polyphenols, glycosides, and the many essential oils in this plant (Sudarto and Pramono, 1985). Longevity spinach extract has resulted in a significant decrease in heart rate which help reduce the effect of hypertension. It shown a strong negative chronotropic effect in rats’ right atria and adverse ionotropic effects in rats’ left atria (Hoe et al., 2011; Kaur et al., 2012; Abrika et al., 2013). The antioxidant activity of Longevity spinach extracts was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay to measure its free radical scavenging. In a comparative study, longevity spinach extract exhibited the highest percentage of DPPH inhibition (52.81%) compared to various other plant extracts (Maw et al., 2011). Longevity spinach is commonly used to treat inflammation. It has been proven to prevent the increase in ear thickness in mice caused by croton oil-induced inflammation (Iskander et al., 2002).

This study aims to design a plant to produce healthy herbal ice cream as a highly nutritious product and healthier snacking alternative, to improve public health. The study was carried out by formulating the product using information obtained from a customer survey and from the international food regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The complete composition of the healthy herbal ice cream product can be seen in Table 1. The nutritional value of the final product can be seen in Table 2.

Table 1 Composition of healthy herbal ice cream

Table 2 Nutritional value of healthy herbal ice cream

Healthy herbal ice cream made out of Gynura procumbens can be a solution to improve public health, provide a healthier snacking alternative, and improve the national economy. The profitability analysis shows that the plant has a relatively short payback period, favorable break-even point, and feasible other costs. The payback period of the plant is 2.24 years. ROR and IRR obtained from this plant are 44.98 and 46%, respectively. The NPV of this plant is Rp21,819,500,900.

    The authors are grateful for the financial support of the present study by the Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education through PDUPT (NKB-1646/UN2.R3.1/HKP.00/2019).

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