Ice cream

No one knows exactly when ice cream was first produced. Ancient
manuscripts tell us that the Chinese liked a frozen product made by
mixing fruit juices with snow what we now call water ice. This technique
later spread to ancient Greece and Rome, where the wealthy in particular
were partial to frozen desserts.
After disappearing for several centuries, ice cream in various forms
reappeared in Italy in the Middle Ages, most probably as a result of
Marco Polo returning to Italy in 1295 after some 17 years in China, where
he had acquired a liking for a frozen dessert based on milk. From Italy,
ice cream spread through Europe during the 17th century, long remaining
a luxury product for the royal courts. Industrial ice cream production
began at the end of the 19th century when the first mechanical
refrigerators were pioneered.

Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19 399

 Categories of ice cream and
related products
Ice cream and related products can be divided into a number of categories.
As legislation varies from one country to another, the following should be
regarded as a guideline only.
The fat content of ice cream typically determines the category to which it
belongs. In some countries fat content has to exceed 9 % to qualify for
the ice cream category. Below this level, the product is typically called milk
ice, whereas ice cream with more than 12 13 % fat is often categorised as
either luxury or premium.
The fat can be either of animal or vegetable origin. If the latter,
legislation in a number of countries dictates that the product cannot then
be called ice cream, but must be labelled, for example, non-dairy ice
cream. In Denmark the special term ermol has to be used.

Table 19.1
Typical ice cream formulas
Type of Fat MSNF Sugar E/S Water Overrun
ice cream % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % vol
Dessert ice 15 10 15 0,3 59,7 110
Ice cream 10 11 15 0,5 63,5 100
Milk ice 4 12 13 0,6 70,4 85
Sherbet 2 4 22 0,4 71,6 50
Water ice 0 0 22 0,2 77,8 0
Sorbet 0 0 22 0,5 77,5 30-50

Fat Milk, cream, butter or vegetable fat

MSNF Milk solids-non-fat (protein, lactose, salts)
Sugar Sucrose (10 % of sugar may be glucose, dextrose
or sweetener)
E/S Emulsifier and stabiliser, e.g. monoglycerides,
logust bean gum (LBG), goar gum
Overrun Amount of air in product
Other ingredients Flavours, colours, fruit, nuts and chocolate
pieces may be added during processing

Categories of related products

Sorbet is the term used for a frozen, typically juice-based product with a
certain amount of overrun. The mix passes through a continuous freezer
where air is incorporated. Sorbet products are characterised by fresh eating
properties and do not contain fat or milk solids-non-fat (MSNF).
In order to obtain a final product with more body, ice cream producers
also produce sherbet that contains a small amount of fat or MSNF. Sherbet
still retains the fresh eating properties associated with sorbet.
Yoghurt ice cream gained enormous popularity in the US during the
1980s due to its relatively low fat and calorie content. Weight and
cholesterol watchers were delighted. Typically a blend of standard ice
cream mix and yoghurt milk with live bacteria, yoghurt ice cream tends to
have a fresher taste than standard ice cream
Water ice is a blend of sugar, fruit concentrates, stabilisers, flavour and
colour. The finished mix is pasteurised and filled into moulds (or pockets) on
a rotary or in-line machine. Freezing takes place in the pockets, which pass
through cold brine (salt solution). When frozen solid, the water ice, is
extracted from the pocket. It is a typical childrens product.

400 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19

 The development of extrusion technology has created a new category
known as extruded water ice. Basically, a water ice containing a special
stabiliser, is pumped to the continuous freezer, where air incorporation and
freezing take place before extrusion. The final product typically contains 20
30 % air and is very fresh and cold to the taste.

Ice cream terminology

Depending on the filling method, ice cream products are termed one of the
following:

Moulded
Ice cream or water ice mix is filled into moulds and frozen to produce stick
novelties. After extraction, the products can be dipped in chocolate or other
coatings.

Filled
Ice cream is filled into cups, containers or cones and may be decorated
with chocolate, cream, ripple and dry materials.

Extruded
Ice cream is typically extruded onto a tray by means of a time-elapse filler. A
wide variety of products can be produced including stick novelties,
sandwiches, desserts, ball-top cones and so on. As extruded ice cream

Pre-heating

Formulation
Mixing

Pasteurisation
Homogenisation
Cooling
+ 5 C

Ageing
(> 4 hours)

Continuous Air
Freezing

3 to 6 C

Add mixture of
Fruit ripple
Dry ingredients

Filling
Extrusion
Moulding

Filling,Extrusion, Stick bar

Cups/cones/bulks freezing
(Flavouring)
20 C

Continuous 20 C Cold storage

hardening 25 C,
0 9 months Fig. 19.1 The ice cream process.

Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19 401

 can be more viscous (= stiffer and colder) than moulded or filled ice cream,
the quality is generally higher. Extruded products have a creamier texture
and more mouthfeel than moulded or filled products with a similar
composition. Decoration and coating is possible.

Preparing the ice cream mix

The basic steps of the ice cream process are shown in Figure 19.1.

Reception and storage of raw materials

The manner in which raw materials and ingredients are received varies from
one factory to another depending on its facilities and capacity.
Dry products are usually delivered in bags. Bulk materials such as sugar
and milk powder can be delivered in containers and blown into storage silos
using compressed air.
Liquid products are often delivered in tankers. Milk products are stored
below 5 C during storage, while sweetened condensed milk, glucose and
vegetable fat must be heated to a relatively high temperature (30 50 C) to
keep the viscosity low enough for pumping. Milk fat is delivered in the form
of anhydrous milk fat (AMF) or blocks of frozen butter, which are melted
prior to use and pumped into storage tanks, where a temperature of 35
40 C must be maintained.

Raw materials and ingredients

The ingredients used in ice cream production are:
Frozen ice cream Fat
Ice cream mix with 100 % overrun Milk solids non fat (MSNF)
10 %
5 % Fat Sugar/non-sugar sweetener
Fat 5,7 % MSNF Emulsifiers/stabilisers
11,5 % 7,5 % Sugar Flavours
37 % MSNF
DM
0,3 % E/S Colours
15 % Other ingredients
Sugar
0,5 %
E/S Fat
Fat makes up about 10 15 % of an ice cream mix and may
be milk or vegetable fat. The fat gives creaminess and
31,5 % improves melting resistance by stabilising the air cell structure
63 % Moisture
Moisture
of the ice cream.
Milk fat is used in the form of whole milk, cream, butter or
anhydrous milk fat (AMF). Where the milk fat is replaced by
vegetable fat, hydrogenated (hardened) coconut oil and palm
kernel oil are most commonly used. The use of vegetable fat
in ice cream is regulated by legislation in many countries.

Milk solids-non-fat (MSNF)

MSNF consist of proteins, lactose and mineral salts derived
from whole milk, skim milk, condensed milk, milk powders
and/or whey powder. In addition to its high nutritional value,
MSNF helps to stabilise the structure of ice cream due to its
water-binding and emulsifying effect. The same effect also has
a positive influence on air distribution in the ice cream during
50 %
Air the freezing process, leading to improved body and
creaminess.
In a well-balanced recipe, the quantity of MSNF should
always be in proportion to the water content. The optimal
level is 17 parts MSNF to 100 parts water:

Fig. 19.2 From ice cream mix

to ice cream.

402 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19

 17 (100 other solids in percent)
% MSNF =
117

The MSNF content is typically around 11% in an ice cream mix with a fat
content of 10 12 %.

Sugar
Sugar is added to increase the solids content of the ice cream and give it
the level of sweetness consumers prefer. Ice cream mix normally contains
between 12 20 % sugar. Many factors influence the sweetening effect and
product quality, and many different types of sugar can be used, such as
cane and beet sugar, glucose, dextrose and invert sugar (a mixture of
glucose and fructose).
The consistency of the ice cream can also be adjusted by selecting
different types of sugar. This makes it possible to produce ice cream that is
easy to scoop.
In the production of sugar-free ice cream, sweeteners are used to
replace sugar. Aspartame, sorbitol and glycerol or manitol are the most
commonly used sweeteners and are applied in conjunction with a bulking
agent such as malto-dextrin.

Emulsifiers and stabilisers

Emulsifiers and stabilisers are typically used as combined products at
dosages of 0,5 % in the ice cream mix. Traditionally, these products were
produced by dry blending, but nowadays integrated products are preferred
due to their high performance and improved storage stability.

Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers are substances that assist emulsification by reducing the surface
tension of liquid products. They also help stabilise the emulsion during the
homogenisation process by creating smaller, more uniform fat globules. Egg
yolk is a well-known emulsifier, but is expensive and less effective than the
most commonly used types. These are mainly non-ionic derivatives of
natural fats, which have been esterified so they attract water molecules at
one end and fat molecules at the other. The main components of the
emulsifiers used in ice cream production are mono and diglycerides of fatty
acids.

Stabilisers
A stabiliser is a substance that has the ability to bind water when dispersed
in a liquid phase. This is called hydration and means the stabiliser forms a
matrix that prevents the water molecules from moving freely. Generally
speaking there are two types: protein in the form of gelatine, and
carbohydrates, including seaweed colloids, hemi-cellulose and modified
cellulose compounds. Stabilisers are used in ice cream production to
increase the viscosity of the mix and create body and texture. They also
control the growth of ice crystals and improve melting resistance. The most common ice cream
flavours are vanilla, nougat,
Flavours chocolate, strawberry and nut.
Flavours are a very important factor in the customers choice of ice cream
and can be added at the mixing stage or after pasteurisation. The most
popular flavours are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
In the EU, flavours are classified in three groups: natural, nature-identical
and artificial. Nature-identical flavours are the most commonly used.

Colours
Natural or artificial colours are added to the mix to give the ice cream an
attractive appearance. Local legislation exists in most countries regarding
the use of colours in food.

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 Other ingredients
Many moulded and extruded ice cream products are coated with
chocolate. Generally speaking, two types of chocolate coatings are used:
real chocolate and chocolate compound, the latter containing cocoa
powder instead of cocoa mass and cocoa butter, and vegetable fat such as
coconut or palm kernel oil.
Ripples (sauces) are incorporated in ice cream for taste and appearance.
They can also be applied for pencil filling and top decoration.
Dry ingredients are added through an ingredient feeder. A great variety of
products are used: chocolate, nuts, dried fruit pieces, candies, cookies,
Smarties, caramel pieces, etc.
The mix composition and resulting ice cream are illustrated in Figure
19.2.

Mixing
The tank-stored raw materials are heated and blended to form a
homogenous mix that is then pasteurised and homogenised. Large
production plants often have two mix tanks with a volume corresponding to
the hourly capacity of the pasteuriser, in order to maintain a continuous
flow. The dry ingredients, especially the milk powder, are generally added
via a mixing unit, through which water is circulated, creating an ejector
effect that sucks the powder into the flow. Before returning to the tank, the
mix is normally heated to 50 60 C to facilitate dissolution. Liquid
ingredients such as milk, cream, liquid sugar, etc. are measured into the mix
tank.

Homogenisation and pasteurisation

In large-scale production the ice cream mix flows through a filter to a
balance tank. From there it is pumped to a plate heat exchanger, where it is
pre-heated to 73 75 C. After homogenisation at 14 20 MPa (140 200
bar), the mix is returned to the plate heat exchanger and pasteurised at 83
85 C for about 15 seconds. The pasteurised mix is then cooled to 5 C
and transferred to an ageing tank.
The purpose of pasteurisation is to destroy bacteria and dissolve
additives and ingredients.
The homogenisation process results in uniformly small fat globules, and
improves the whippability and texture of the ice cream mix.

Ageing
The mix must be aged for at least 4 hours at a temperature of 2 5 C with
continuous gentle agitation. Ageing allows the milk proteins and water to
interact and the liquid fat to crystallise. This results in better air incorporation
and improved melting resistance.

Beater Dasher Knives

Cylinder Jacket

Fig. 19.3 Principle of a continuous ice

cream freezer. Refrigerant

404 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19

Ice cream processing and packaging
Continuous freezing and ingredient feeding
Continuous freezing
The continuous freezer, Figure 19.4, has two functions:
To whip a controlled amount of air into the mix
To freeze the water content in the mix in a large number of
small ice crystals
The ice cream mix is metered into the freezing cylinder by a gear pump. At
the same time, a constant airflow is fed into the cylinder and whipped into
the mix by a dasher.
Figure 19.3 shows the interior of the freezer cylinder with the dasher and
beater. The refrigerant surrounding the cylinder generates the freezing
process. The layer of frozen mix on the inside cylinder wall is continuously
scraped off by the rotating dasher knife, and a second gear pump drives
the ice cream forward either to an ingredient feeder or a filling machine.
The output temperature is 3 to 6 C depending on the type of ice cream
product.
The increase in volume following the incorporation of air in the mix is
called overrun, and is normally 80 100 %, i.e. 0,8 to 1 litre of air per litre of
mix. The ice cream leaving the continuous freezer has a texture similar to
soft ice, and about 30 55 % of the water content is frozen.
Figure 19.4 shows the front of the freezer with, from bottom, mixing
pump, cream pump and control panel.
Fig. 19.4 Continuous ice cream freezer,
Ingredient feeding automatically controlled.
The function of the ingredient feeder, Figure 19.5, is to add ingredients
continuously and accurately to the ice cream. The pump is designed to
ensure the ingredients are gently fed into the ice cream flow from the
freezer. A wide range of ingredients can be accommodated by the feeder:
Dry ingredients (e.g. nuts, cookies, chocolate)
Soft ingredients (e.g. pieces of fruit, cookie dough, marzipan)
Liquid ingredients (e.g. marmalade, jam, caramel)
The ingredient feeder is designed to handle all three kinds of ingredient.
Dosing accuracy is controlled by the use of ingredient-weighing cells.
1
Filling lines
A rotary or in-line filling machine fills ice cream, sorbet and water ice directly 4
from the freezer into cups, cones and containers of varying design, shape
and size.
Filling takes place by means of a time-elapse filler, a volumetric filler or an
extrusion filler. In the case of extrusion filling, a cutting mechanism is
2
provided.
Decoration with various ingredients is possible, including nuts, fruits,
chocolate, jams or gum balls. 3
Lids are put on the packs before leaving the machine, after which they
are passed through a hardening tunnel where final freezing to 20 C takes
place.
Before or after hardening, the products can be manually or automatically
packed in cartons or bundles. Plastic tubes or cardboard cartons can be
filled manually by means of a can-filling unit equipped to supply single or
twin flavours.

Moulded stick novelty lines

Ice cream or water ice bars are made in special machines, also known as Fig. 19.5 Ingredient feeder for
stick novelty freezers, where the ice cream or water ice is moulded in granulated products.
pockets. The ice cream is supplied directly from the continuous freezer at a 1 Funnel for ingredient
2 Ice cream feed
temperature of approx. 3 C. The filled moulds are conveyed through a
3 Dosing wheel
brine solution with a temperature of 40 C, which freezes the ice cream or 4 In-line mixer
water ice solution.

Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19 405

 Fig. 19.6 Ice cream bar freezer.

Sticks are inserted before the moulds are completely frozen.

The frozen products are removed from the moulds by passing them
through a warm brine solution which melts the surfaces of the products and
enables them to be removed automatically by an extractor unit. After
extraction the products may be dipped in chocolate and coated with nuts
or other dry ingredients before being transferred to the wrapping machine.
Since the products are fully frozen, they can be taken straight to the cold
store after wrapping and cartoning.
A variety of shaped products can be produced on stick novelty freezers
as well as products with one, two or three flavours and products
with an ice cream core covered by a water ice shell.
Figure 19.6 shows a moulded stick novelty freezer for
manufacturing ice cream and water ice bars. The cutaway view
of an ice cream bar in Figure 19.7 shows the texture of the ice
Air
bubbles cream.
Fat
crystals
Extrusion lines tray tunnel
systems
Extruded premium stick products are among the most
classic products on a tray tunnel system. Indeed, the
combination of an extrusion temperature of 5 6 C,
Ice hardening to approx 20 C and enrobing in real chocolate
crystals has produced one of the most successful products of
Casein recent years.
Extruded stick products are only one of the product
Fig. 19.7 Texture of an ice cream bar. types which can be produced on a tray tunnel system. Using different filling
and handling equipment, a wide range of products can be produced, such
as sandwich products, ball-top cones, filled wafer cups, ice cream cakes,
ice cream logs and bite-size products.
The basic tray tunnel process is illustrated in Figure 19.8.
Extruded ice cream products are normally produced on a tray tunnel
extruder. The ice cream can be extruded directly onto trays in a variety of
shapes and sizes, into a cup or cone or onto a sandwich wafer. An
extrusion unit is shown in Figure 19.9.
After decoration, the products are carried on the trays through a
hardening tunnel, illustrated in Figure 19.10, where they are frozen to
20 C. The products are then removed from the trays ready for wrapping
and packing in cartons, either manually or automatically. Such a system is
continuous. Depending on the capacity of the extruder and product type,
5 000 33 000 units can be produced an hour.

406 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19

Continuous Freezer Freezing of ice cream to 5 6 C

Worktable Extrusion Filling Shaping/Embossing

Adding of biscuit, decoration, dry stuff, jam, chewing balls, etc

Tray Tunnel Hardening of ice cream to 20 25 C

Handling Enrobing by e.g compound, chocolate, juice

Wrapping Flow rapping of products into sealed bags

Cartoning Cartoning into boxes

Fig. 19.8 Processing functions in an extrusiion and tray tunnel system.

Wrapping and packaging

Cups, containers, etc. are either bundled or packed in cartons. Hand-held
products like stick novelties, cones and bars are wrapped in a single or
multi-lane wrapping machine before being packed in cartons. The design of
the wrapping and packaging section of an ice cream processing line
depends on the type of product and the capacity. Varying degrees of
manual and automatic operation can be employed.

Hardening and cold storage

The manufacture of ice cream is not complete until it has been thoroughly
hardened at a temperature of around 20 C. For products made on an
extrusion line or a stick novelty freezer, the hardening operation is included
in the process. However, products packed immediately after freezing must
be transferred to a hardening tunnel. The faster the hardening, the better
the texture. After hardening, the products are transferred to the cold store,
where they are stored on shelves or pallet racks at a temperature of 25 C.
The storage life of ice cream depends on the type of product, the
packaging, and maintenance of a constant low temperature. The storage
period ranges from 0 to 9 months. Fig. 19.9 A tray tunnel extruder.

Fig. 19.10 Hardening tunnel.

Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19 407

 Examples of production plants
The two plants illustrated give an idea of the product flow in ice cream
production. One of the plants is relatively small with an hourly capacity of
500 litres of ice cream, Figure 19.11, while the other, Figure 19.12, is a large
plant producing 5 000 10 000 litres of ice cream an hour.
In the small plant, the packaged and cartoned products are typically
hardened in the cold store at a temperature of 35 to 40 C. To shorten
the hardening period as much as possible, the cartons must be openly
5 spaced on pallets.

etra
Tetra
Pak
6
8
3 4

7 8
2
8
1
10
14 10
9
9
12
13
11
Fig. 19.11 Production plant for 500 litres
per hour of ice cream products.

1 Ice cream mix preparation module

2 Water heater
3 Mixing and processing tank
4 Homogeniser
5 Plate heat exchanger
6 Control panel
7 Cooling water unit
8 Ageing tanks
9 Discharge pumps
10 Continuous freezers
11 Ripple pump
12 Rotary filler
13 Can filler, manual
14 CIP unit

408 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19

 A
C
B 4 5
3
D
6
2
1
7

9
12

15 10
8
16 13

11
17 14

18 19

Fig.19.12 Large ice cream plant for production of 5 00010 000 l/h of various types of ice cream.

A Raw material storage D Ice cream production plant

6 Ageing tanks
B Dissolving of ingredients and mixing 7 Continuous freezers
1 Mixing unit 8 Ingredient feeder
2 Plate heat exchanger 9 Cup/cone filler
3 Mixing tanks (at least two for continuous processing) 10 Hardening tunnel
C Pasteurisation, homogenisation and fat standardisation of the mix 11 Cartoning line
4 Plate heat exchanger 12 Bar freezer
5 Homogeniser 13 Wrapping unit
14 Cartoning unit
15 Tray tunnel extruder
16 Transfer and enrobing unit
17 Wrapping unit
18 Cartoning unit
19 Cold storage

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410 Dairy Processing Handbook/Chapter 19