Why Ice Cream Needs Stabilizers
Most commercial ice creams contain things like locust bean gum, guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xanthan gum, sodium alginate, a-nd carrageenan. What are these scary-sounding things, a-nd why are they in our ice cream?
In the ice cream business, these are all known as "stabilizers." The stabilizers are a group of compounds, usually polysacc-haride food gums, that are responsible for adding viscosity to the mix a-nd the unfrozen phase of the ice cream. They mainly help with two things: reducing iciness, a-nd extending shelf life. Without the stabilizers, the ice cream would become coarse a-nd icy very quickly due to the migration of free water a-nd the growth of existing ice crystals.
In the distribution channels of todays marketplace, the supermarkets, the trunks of cars, a-nd so on, ice cream has many opportunities to warm up, partially melt some of the ice, a-nd then refreeze as the temperature is once again lowered. This process is known as "heat shock" a-nd every time it happens, the ice cream becomes more icy tasting. A-nd the stabilizers can help to prevent this.
The functions of stabilizers in ice cream:
1. In the mix:
To stabilize the emulsion to prevent creaming of fat a-nd, in the case of carrageenan, to prevent serum separation due to incompatibility of the other polysacc-harides with milk proteins, also to aid in suspension of liquid flavours.
2. In the ice cream at draw from the scraped surface freezer:
To stabilize the air bubbles a-nd to hold the flavourings, for example, ripple sauces, in dispersion.
3. In the ice cream during storage:
To prevent lactose crystal growth a-nd retard or reduce ice crystal growth during storage, also to prevent shrinkage from collapse of the air bubbles a-nd to prevent moisture migration into the package (in the case of paperboard) a-nd sublimation from the surface.
4. In the ice cream at the time of consumption:
To provide some body a-nd mouthfeel without being gummy, a-nd to promote good flavour release.
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The Stabilizers In Use Today
In the ice cream business, these are all known as "stabilizers." The stabilizers are a group of compounds, usually polysacc-haride food gums, that are responsible for adding viscosity to the mix a-nd the unfrozen phase of the ice cream. They mainly help with two things: reducing iciness, a-nd extending shelf life. Without the stabilizers, the ice cream would become coarse a-nd icy very quickly due to the migration of free water a-nd the growth of existing ice crystals.
In the distribution channels of todays marketplace, the supermarkets, the trunks of cars, a-nd so on, ice cream has many opportunities to warm up, partially melt some of the ice, a-nd then refreeze as the temperature is once again lowered. This process is known as "heat shock" a-nd every time it happens, the ice cream becomes more icy tasting. A-nd the stabilizers can help to prevent this.
The functions of stabilizers in ice cream:
1. In the mix:
To stabilize the emulsion to prevent creaming of fat a-nd, in the case of carrageenan, to prevent serum separation due to incompatibility of the other polysacc-harides with milk proteins, also to aid in suspension of liquid flavours.
2. In the ice cream at draw from the scraped surface freezer:
To stabilize the air bubbles a-nd to hold the flavourings, for example, ripple sauces, in dispersion.
3. In the ice cream during storage:
To prevent lactose crystal growth a-nd retard or reduce ice crystal growth during storage, also to prevent shrinkage from collapse of the air bubbles a-nd to prevent moisture migration into the package (in the case of paperboard) a-nd sublimation from the surface.
4. In the ice cream at the time of consumption:
To provide some body a-nd mouthfeel without being gummy, a-nd to promote good flavour release.
related articles
The Stabilizers In Use Today
