CSO & Co Founder Protelicious

Dr. Jean-François Lesgards holds a PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry with 25 years of basic and clinical research in nutrition, health and inflammatory diseases. Jean-François also worked 5 years in the United States and Canada at the INSTITUT de CARDIOLOGY DE MONTRÉAL, QC, CANADA and at the DIABETES & OBESITY CENTER - Division Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville, KENTUCKY, USA.
He is now affiliated with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) of Aix Marseille University, FRANCE, and has also worked at INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research), INSERM (National Institute for Health and Medical Research) in France.

Helps create a healthy and delicious habit with a gourmet taste and texture

Our gourmet ice cream, while having a delicious taste and creamy texture, offers health benefits based on scientific arguments, and contributes to the creation of healthier eating habits. It is sold in the USA, Hong Kong and will soon be in France and Europe.

Made from natural ingredients, the key ingredient of which is our whey protein concentrate (Protelicious Signature Gourmet Whey Protein), Parad'Ice stands out for its velvety texture and its exceptional quality protein content ranging from 27 to 34 grams per 473 ml pint (9 g/85 g serving).

Our whey protein concentrate, sourced from the milk of grass-fed cows, is concentrated through a cold ultrafiltration process to obtain a whey protein concentrate of the highest quality, deliciously creamy and tasty, while keeping intact all its amino acids (AAs) beneficial to health and well-being, including the most fragile AAs. Indeed, some AAs can be damaged by high temperatures and extreme pH conditions, as is the case with less expensive industrial processes that concern a majority of products on the market, particularly for gyms and weight rooms.

In our ice creams, each flavor is made without added sugar and with a quality validated by chefs, which provides the pleasure of ice cream while avoiding the pitfalls associated with sugar which causes a real addiction (DiNicolantonio JJ et al., 2018) (Lenoir M et al., 2007).

Parad'Ice ice creams have a unique manufacturing process as well as high quality ingredients: the taste is excellent as recognized by various juries of testers, whether with our Valrhona cocoa powder, preferred by chefs, True Deep Chocolate, our premium freeze-dried strawberry powder for True Velvety Strawberry or Madagascar vanilla for True Madagascar Vanilla.

Parad'Ice ice cream is therefore unique, both in its process and also for the quality of its ingredients and its health benefits.

The collaboration between Protelicious’ R&D team, food specialists and our supplier has led to a significant advancement in the use of proteins and in particular whey proteins in ice cream. The final product contains a high level of total protein (9-11g/85g serving or 27-34 grams per 473ml pint, or approximately 10.5% protein) of which the majority is whey. It is far superior to any product on the market (at least 2 times: protein is generally present at approximately 4% or less in ice cream).

This was a challenge because different food technology research teams have been highlighting for decades the difficulty of making protein-rich ice creams. The difficulty is linked to different parameters to be respected: homogeneity, viscosity, good mixing of fats, normal size of ice crystals and good overrun (integration of air).

A study using vanilla ice cream at 4.8 g/80 g protein (0.96 g/80 g whey protein and 3.84 g/80 g casein) concluded that it was not possible to increase the whey protein content in ice cream due to the difficulty in achieving a stable emulsion (Maurotti S et al., 2023). This difficulty prompted researchers to add ingredients other than whey (or other pure protein) alone, but rather a whey protein-phospholipid complex (WPPC) and delactose permeate (DLP) (DLP is the coproduct generated when precrystallized lactose is separated from milk and whey permeates) (Levin MA et al., 2022). Others apply high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), especially at 300 MPa for 15 min, to improve the emulsifying properties of whey protein concentrate WPC (Lim SY, et al., 2008).

In almost all cases, ice cream manufacturers and food technology researchers add emulsifiers, particularly polysorbate 80 and mono- and diglycerides (Goff HD, 1997) and no research team has been able to integrate 10% whey or total protein without these emulsifiers. One team was able to add (in one research study only) up to 7.18% total protein, but concluded that at this percentage, the ice cream exhibited a shrinkage defect after thermal shock and that this defect could be avoided by adding different combinations of stabilizers, emulsifiers, or both to the mix (Patel MR et al., 2016).

Additionally, increasing the protein content in ice cream, such as whey protein, significantly affects the taste, as proteins have poor palatability (taste) compared to fats and sugars (McDowell TK et al., 2022) and can even create an off-flavor. We have also overcome this problem, as evidenced by various panels of testers, our chefs, and all consumers so far.

Our work has therefore made it possible to obtain a unique, homogeneous ice cream, with an excellent texture and taste, made with around 10% protein without using emulsifiers and without using high pressure conditions!

We have known for decades that the damage caused by sugar on our health has been largely underestimated compared to “bad fats”, such as cholesterol or saturated fats, whose harmful effects have been excessively emphasized. This major correction towards more scientific truth has been published even in major scientific journals such as JAMA (Kearns CE et al., 2016). The sugar industry has paid over time, tens of millions of US dollars since the 1950s to produce false information and studies in the field (Hass HB, 1954). As in the New York Times, this has also been reported to the public and is clearly recognized today: “How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat” (O'Connor A, September 12, 2016). In fact, the real “bad fats” that have a clear negative impact on diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are mainly processed industrial fats and trans fats (de Souza RJ et al., 2015). The sugar industry is now trying to attack some healthy sweeteners such as xylitol or erythritol, by fabricating false studies, while explaining that the solution is to continue using sugar but in more “reasonable” quantities.

Sugar in food, and especially added sugar, is therefore the real major health problem!

Our ice creams are compatible with diabetics because:

- Parad'Ice has an excellent carbohydrate profile (0 added sugar which is really rare on the market) and a low net carbohydrate content

- Parad'Ice has a reasonable level of quality lipids, compatible with the ketogenic/keto diet

- Parad'Ice is the richest product in high-quality proteins on the market and whey and milk proteins are even associated with the improvement of diabetes parameters (postprandial hyperglycemia, insulin production, insulin resistance, blood lipid profile, oxidative stress, satiety) as we recently published in a review, in the journal Nutrients (Lesgards JF, 2023).

Our high protein ice cream is sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol. Monk fruit (Siraitia grosvenorii) is a type of green squash (Cucurbitaceae family) native to Asia that acts as a natural sweetener due to its mogroside content (the active glycoside compounds), without raising insulin levels or adding calories as it is free of glucose and fructose, while providing excellent sweetness and taste to the ice cream.

It is associated with erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol (or polyol) that is almost completely non-caloric and very safe (Boesten DMPHJ et al., 2015) and does not affect blood glucose levels (Moon HJ et al., 2010). Systemic health studies have shown that erythritol, unlike other polyols, is readily absorbed (about 90%) from the small intestine and excreted unchanged in the urine (de Cock P, 2018). Furthermore, erythritol is effective in inhibiting the growth of oral bacteria (de Cock P et al., 2016), also has antioxidant properties and can improve endothelial function in people with type 2 diabetes (de Cock P, 2018) (den Hartog GJM, 2010) (Ishikawa M et al., 1996)!

Parad'Ice is the ice cream richest in high-quality proteins on the market. Indeed, Parad'Ice ice is enriched with whey proteins which are of great interest from a nutritional point of view both for healthy people but also for pre-diabetic people (around 100 million people in the USA out of 345 million inhabitants) and diabetics who number 34.2 million people or 10.5% of the American population (CDC, 2020) (Lesgards JF, 2023). Diabetes, worldwide, is a real pandemic with a prevalence among 20-79 year olds in 2021 of 10.5% (536.6 million people), which is expected to reach 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045 (Sun et al., 2022).

With 9g of protein per 85g serving or 27-33 grams per 473ml pint (approximately 10.5% total protein), which is primarily whey protein, Parad'Ice is not only diabetic friendly but can also provide the benefits of whey protein on blood sugar and sugar cravings, as shown in the scientific literature (Lesgards JF, 2023). Indeed, whey consumption has been associated with reduced hyperglycemia in diabetic subjects (Smith K, et al., 2022). Whey also improves glutathione synthesis, which is beneficial for reducing oxidative stress and insulin resistance (Kanikarla-Marie P et al., 2019) (Jain SK, 2012). Whey has also been shown to significantly reduce circulating blood triglyceride levels in a meta-analysis of 13 studies (Zhang JW et al., 2016). Also, the high total polyphenol content of chocolate ice cream (200 mg) also contributes to antidiabetic and cardiovascular protective activity.

The fat content is reasonable and average compared to other products on the market and they are of good quality. Again, all natural unprocessed fats (unsaturated and saturated) are necessary for the body because they are useful for cell membranes, as an energy source for the heart and other organs, essential for the skin, brain, etc. The problem for human health actually lies in industrially processed and saturated fats as well as so-called "trans" fats which are associated with mortality and mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) (de Souza RJ et al., 2015) (Bendsen NT et al., 2011) (Brouwer IA et al., 2010) and Parad'Ice does not contain any.

In conclusion, with this excellent balance between the 3 macronutrients, especially for low net carbohydrates and healthy proteins with unique and exceptional content, this makes our ice cream a healthy and tasty choice for the whole family and for everyone. Parad'Ice is also compatible with followers of the ketogenic/keto diet and pre-diabetic or even diabetic people, with new health benefits compared to other ice creams, which makes it unique to date on this market!

Feel fuller longer: Reduces sugar cravings

Healthy body composition

Clinical studies have consistently demonstrated that low-protein diets trigger sugar cravings and obesity (Roberge JB et al., 2019) (Kim JE et al., 2016).

Consuming whey protein can really help control sugar cravings because protein has an action on appetite and induces a satiety effect. This biological effect has been scientifically described and is due to the hormones produced in the intestine after consuming whey. These hormones are diverse, they are called GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), GLP-1 (glucagon-like-peptide-1), CCK (cholecystokinin), PYY (Peptide YY) or ghrelin, and they send a satiety signal to the brain (in the hypothalamus). This is therefore an intestine-brain information that circulates both through the bloodstream and through the nerve pathway (vagus nerve) (Lesgards et al., 2023). Several studies have demonstrated that whey protein has a better effect on appetite control than other protein sources such as egg, casein or soy (Hall W et al., 2003) (Anderson G et al., 2004) (Uhe A et al., 1992) (Tahavorgar A et al., 2014).

Adequate protein intake is essential for maintaining healthy and strong bones, joints and muscles. Protelicious Parad'Ice contains up to 34 grams of quality protein in each pint. By consuming whey protein, especially cold-concentrated whey from grass-fed cows like whey protein concentrates, which probably have the best amino acid (AA) profile and digestibility of any food, you can improve your lean (muscle) mass relative to fat, especially when combined with regular physical activity. This contributes to a healthier, more beautiful body and helps control your body mass index (BMI) and weight.

Indeed, whey is particularly rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) such as leucine, which trigger muscle synthesis (Devries MC et al., 2015) (Tang et al., 2009) (Hulmi et al., 2010) (Fujita and Volpi, 2006). Whey protein has been shown to stimulate muscle protein synthesis better than other proteins such as egg, casein, and soy in clinical studies (Devries MC et al., 2015). Intake of 1–1.2 g/body weight/day of quality protein is particularly crucial to prevent muscle and bone protein degradation and age-associated loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia). Thus, whey is increasingly proposed as a protein source of choice to maintain muscle strength in older adults (Rieu I et al., 2006) (Lancha AH J et al., 2016). Protein is also essential for bone and joint health, constituting a significant portion of both tissues. Amino acid intake plays an important role in the continuous cycle of bone formation and resorption, maintaining bone health (Jennings A. et al., 2016) (Heaney RP and Layman DK, 2008).

Parad'Ice is gentle on the digestive system: it does not contain inflammatory sugars (glucose, fructose) and quality proteins and fats (no processed trans fats) and fibers/prebiotics (inulin).

Its richness in amino acids can contribute to good digestion and intestinal health. Indeed, a healthy and functional intestine is based on 2 things: a healthy barrier/mucosa and a balanced microbiota.

A healthy barrier/mucosa is a thin, continuous protective layer of compact cells (epithelium) and a balanced gut microbiota, a balanced mix of “good” and “bad” bacteria, fungi and microorganisms. For the intestinal barrier, glutamic acid, which synthesizes glutamine, the fuel of intestinal cells, is necessary. Arginine is also useful for the protection of the intestinal membrane and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. And methionine and cysteine ​​are key antioxidant and anti-inflammatory amino acids.

Amino acids are also essential for maintaining a balanced microbiota (a balanced mix of “good” and “bad” bacteria, fungi and microorganisms), a thriving powerhouse that contributes significantly to our immune system, accounting for approximately 70% of our body’s defense mechanism and significantly impacting digestion (Reeds PJ and Burrin DG, 2020) (Boscaini S et al., 2023).

In addition, Parad'Ice is free of sugars that cause inflammation, and contains high-quality fats and prebiotic fibers including inulin which is a fiber/prebiotic good for the gut microbiota (Qin YQ et al., 2023) (Vandeputte D et al., 2017) (Roy S and Dhaneshwar S, 2023), for good digestibility. Natural sweeteners monk fruit and erythritol, add a subtle sweetness and antioxidants. For those with lactose intolerance, Parad'Ice, although dairy-based, incorporates a low-lactose whey protein concentrate for easier digestion. Parad'Ice is a deliciously creamy ice cream that, beyond being delicious, promotes general health and well-being.

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