The ice cream, known as ReCharge, has been developed by researchers from Fonterra and the University of Auckland at Fonterra's laboratory in Palmerston North.
Researchers involved in the LactoPharma partnership have spent several years and $2 million developing the product.
ReCharge is essentially a food supplement containing two milk bioactive components - milk fat and lactoferrin or dairy protein.
Lactoferrin occurs naturally in milk and contains iron.
Chemotherapy can irritate the intestines, causing diarrhoea and anaemia, as well as weight loss, lack of appetite and bloating, among other side effects.
In trials of mice, ReCharge showed a reduction in irritation to the intestines.
Weight loss and damage to the gut lining were reduced.
LactoPharma project leader Associate Prof Geoff Krissansen said there were also improvements to the immune system and blood markers.
Fonterra chief technology officer Dr Jeremy Hill said in a statement the ice cream was a "tremendous technical challenge to develop . . . a great tasting, easily palatable ice cream for people who find it difficult to consume food".
Trials of the ice cream on patients undergoing chemotherapy will be held in oncology centres at Whangarei, Auckland, Waikato, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill, as well as Dunedin.
The trial is to be led by Dr David Perez, an oncologist at Dunedin Hospital and associate professor at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine.
The trial will be run by Cancer Trials New Zealand.
Dr Perez said the trial needed 200 volunteers, 20 of whom it was hoped would come from Dunedin and Invercargill.
It would be run over about 12 months.
Patients would be required to consume a 100g tub of strawberry flavoured ice cream each day.
"Hopefully, people find it an easier product to take, and it can give them some nutrition at the same time."
In some patients stomach problems from chemotherapy drugs meant the dosage had to be reduced, affecting treatment.
"If it can improve the quality of life of people having chemotherapy by making an improvement in one area, I think that will help people handle the treatment better and enable them to get through it."
Dr Perez said there had never been a product such as this for treating side effects in cancer patients, although similar products had been used for people with infections.
A complete evaluation of the product and further trials would be needed before the possibility of public use could be considered.
That would be at least three years away, he said.
