Question 1

Does guava paste count as a sugar in balancing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is about 70% sugar per 100g, so it must be entered in the sugar total, not added to a finished recipe. Treat it as your main sweetener and cut added sucrose and dextrose to keep total sugars in the usual 16-22% range for the finished gelato.

Question 2

How does guava paste affect scoopability?

Accepted Answer

Its sugars include guava's glucose and fructose plus some inversion from acid cooking, giving a PAC near 91 per 100g. That is higher than sucrose alone, so it lowers the freezing point and yields a softer, more scoopable product. Balance PAC to avoid an overly soft or icy result.

Question 3

Does guava paste add fat or creaminess?

Accepted Answer

No. Guava paste contains essentially no fat (about 0.2g) and negligible protein per 100g, so it adds none of the richness that milk fat or egg yolk provide. In a milk-based guava gelato you still need dairy or other fat and solids sources for body and creaminess.

Question 4

How much water does guava paste bring?

Accepted Answer

Roughly 24g of water per 100g, since it is cooked down to about 76% solids. This is far less than fresh guava pulp, so guava paste concentrates flavor and sugar while adding little water, which helps limit ice crystal formation compared with using fresh fruit.

Question 5

Can I swap guava paste for fresh guava?

Accepted Answer

Not one-for-one. Guava paste is far more concentrated in sugar and solids and much lower in water than fresh guava. If substituting, you must recalculate the sugar, PAC and water balance, typically using much less paste and adding water, or much more fresh fruit and additional sugar.

Parameter	Value	What it means
Total Solids	76%	Everything that isn't water — the backbone of body and scoopability.
Water	24%	Free water that will freeze; drives ice-crystal size.
Sugars	70%	Total sugars, the source of sweetness and freezing-point depression.
Fat	0.2%	Carries flavor and gives a rounder, warmer mouthfeel.
MSNF	0%	Milk solids-non-fat: proteins and lactose that stabilize structure.
Protein	0.3%	Binds water and helps whip in air.
POD (sweetening power)	75	Relative sweetness vs sucrose = 100.
PAC (anti-freezing power)	91	Freezing-point depression vs sucrose = 100 — controls how soft it scoops.

Guava Paste in gelato

Balancing parameters

Balance guava paste in a real recipe

How to use it in gelato

Origin & background

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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