Ice cream is a popular frozen dessert eagerly consumed regardless of the season. The production and storage of ice cream is done under frozen conditions due to the thermal instability of this product. Thermal fluctuations disrupt the structure of the ice cream, causing melting, shrinkage and recrystallisation of the ice, which ultimately leads to deterioration of the product. The addition of substances with protective properties can improve the quality of ice cream during storage and its acceptability to the consumers. In this study, the effect of alpha-tocopheryl acetate on the physicochemical properties of ice cream and its quality attributes (melting rate, overrun, texture) was investigated. In addition, the ice cream was subjected to temperature fluctuations to assess changes in its quality parameters. Fortification of the ice cream mixes with ATA increase the glass transition temperatures, while the freezing temperatures were maintained at a similar level. The overrun of fresh ice cream samples ranged from 48.55±1.08% to 51.99±0.20% and decreased with the storage time. Ice cream subjected to heat shocks characterized with similar overrun values. A slight shift in the melting curves was observed in ice cream stored for 90 days, but the amount of drip-off material appeared to be similar (in the range 56.50±3.64% to 77.32±0.52%) in all the samples tested. The thermal treatment caused significant changes in the melting process - less intense melting and a lower melting rate were observed. ATA addition reduced the hardness of the ice cream, which could be positively perceived by the consumers.