In order to make an ice cream mix, three categories of ingredients are necessary. A concentrated source of milk fat is the first category, the second is a concentrated source of milk solids-not-fat (aka serum solids) and the third is called a balancing ingredient. Representative formulae for commercial grades of ice ream are shown in Table 74.2. Composition of other variants of ice cream and frozen desserts are shown in Table 74.3. The prioritization of ingredient selection can be said to approximate the hierarchy as follows: 1. Select Milk Fat Content: Since milk is bought and sold on the basis of fat content and quality grade of ice cream is also reflected by the fat content, the amount of milk fat will determine the cost and grade of the product.
TABLE 74.2 Representative Formulae for Ice Creams of Different Grades.
Constituent FDA,Standard %, Premium % ,1 ,2 , Super %
Milk fat, min. 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00
Milk solids–notfat, min. 7.50, 9.00, 10.00, 10.50, 9.50
Whey solids, max. 2.50, 2.00, – – – Sucrose – 7.60, 12.00, 15.00, 15.00 Corn syrup solids – 9.00, 6.80, 5.00, – High fructose solids – 4.50, 2.60, – – Stabilizer – 0.35, 0.25, 0.13, 0.12 Emulsifier – 0.25, 0.25, 0.15, 0.10
Total solids – 40.50, 41.28, 41.72, 42.50
TABLE 74.3 Composition of Other Frozen Desserts.
Constituent Non fat, Low fat, Reduced fat, Sherbet, Water Ice
Milk fat 0.5, 3.0, 6.0, 1.5, 0
MSNF 13.5, 13.0, 12.5, 3.5, 0
Sucrose 10.0, 9.0, 10.0, 23.0, 23.0
Corn syrup solids 10.0, 9.0, 8.0, 7.0, 7.0 Stabilizer/emulsifier 1.0, 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 0.4
Water 65.0, 65.2, 62.9, 64.6, 69.6
Total solids 35.0, 34.8, 37.1, 35.4, 30.4
2. Select Nonfat Milk Solids Level to complement the fat content. Too much of nonfat milk solids can cause sandiness. 3. Sweetener Ingredient: Type and amount of sweetener are in turn dependent on the fat and total solids content and also by economic considerations. Higher fat mixes need high sweetener levels. Type of sweetener used depends on demands and supply which in turn controls the cost of the ingredients. 4. Stabilizer and Emulsifier: The amount and type are affected by fat and total solids levels, manufacturing processes, and storage and distribution factors. 5. Label Considerations: If specific nutritional or other claims have to be made (e.g., “all natural,” or “reduced calorie,” or “reduced fat”) then the above hierarchy of ingredient selection is slightly modified and cost of ingredients plays a lesser role than the functional aspects. For the manufacture of good ice cream there is no secret or magic formula. Difference between good and not-so-good ice cream is controlled management. By controlled management is meant such things as using good ingredients for every batch, maintaining the same composition every time, proper and controlled mix making, freezing, packaging, hardening, storage, distribution, and minimal turnover time. These representative subclasses vary not only in the proportion of ingredients but also in the types of ingredients used to furnish a required component. For example, in the “economy” subclass of ice cream serum solids may be derived from nonfat dry milk (skim milk powder), or condensed skim milk and can also include the maximum allowable amounts of whey solids. The maximum allowed amount of whey solids is 25% of the milk solids-not-fat content. Therefore the 10.0% of serum solids may be derived from condensed skim or nonfat dry milk up to a total of 7.5% and whey solids may be added to the level of 2.5%. Since whey solids cost considerably less than milk solids, thereby the overall costs of the formulation can be reduced. Similarly, sweeteners may also be substituted to reduce costs of formulations. High fructose corn syrup has approximately the same sweetness intensity as sugar but cots less than sugar. In some formulations, approximately 50% of the sugar solids can be substituted with high fructose corn syrup solids. In general, the “economy,” “regular,” and “premium” subclasses of ice cream also contain higher overrun while the “super premium” subclass contains less overrun.
Additionally, the “super premium” subclasses are packaged in smaller containers of 468 mL (1 pint) whereas the other products are packaged in 1.874 L (half U.S. gallon) containers. Lastly, the distribution and points of sales of the different subclasses of products can also vary considerably. There is no denying that frozen desserts are a popular and well-loved treat: Supermarket freezer sections have dedicated more and more valuable space to these concoctions over years due to consumer demand. Anyone can successfully make ice-cream, gelato, sorbets, and frozen desserts due to the affordability of commercially available ice-cream machines. Unlike baking, preparing frozen treats is less exact and offers room for lot of experimentation. The history of ice-cream is one consisting of legend, myth and handed-down stories based on some fact, some fiction, and a lot debate. Many histories believe that ice-cream date back to thousands of centuries B.C. in ancient China, even when snow was the major factor in freezing creams. Over years, ice-creams made its way to Europe; Marco Polo is usually credited with bringing the concept to Italy after his travels to the Orient. From there, icecream spread north to France to Britain, and finally to United States. Since then ice-cream has transformed into the treat, we know today served in scoops alongside birthday cakes, atop giant cones, or in parfait glasses.
You must be logged in to post a comment.