Why are emulsifiers added to ice cream

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Thank you from Silverson. Total solids includes the sum of all solid and dry ingredients of ice cream. Fat, sugar, MSNF, stabilizers and emulsifiers all contribute to total solids.

Water is replaced by total solids in ice cream mix. Properties of ice cream are specially improved by the addition of solids of buttermilk and egg yolk, sweet cream and eggs. Mostly ignored but very influential component present in ice cream air and water. Water maintains the continuous phase in ice cream either by adding as solid or liquid form. Products from dairy origin also contribute water contents.

Water provided from supply source must be purified while it is expected that water of milk source has been cleaned already during its passage and excretion from memory glands.

During ice cream preparation, overrun is created by incorporating air in mixture to enhance the volume. Quality of ice cream is influenced by amount of air incorporated.

Quality of product can be controlled by uniform addition of air. Air quality itself is maintained by filters installed in freezers. Emulsifiers, fat and protein in unfrozen state cause the stabilization of air and water interface by forming thin film. Fat globules, ice crystals and water form the emulsion and entrap the air. For the injection of nitrogen instead of air, various researches has been performed.

It was reported that rate of oxidation was reduced with incorporation of nitrogen. Water binding capacity of stabilizers is very high and added in small quantity hence effect on flavor and product value is inconsequential. Total solids, processing machine, stabilizers properties and some other factors affect the usage of stabilizers. During manufacturing of ice cream, emulsifiers are added to smoothen the texture and thorough distribution of air cells.

Mono and di-glycerides are most common emulsifiers used in ice cream plants. Emulsifiers are not be used more than 0. Polysorbate and sorbitan tristearate up to 0.

It is highly valuable in foods and helps in other flavors blending for desirable properties. Ice cream cost is increased by egg yolk addition. It provides desirable flavor to ice cream but if product of egg has any off flavor that can be easily detectable in ice cream with egg. Protein and lecithin complex in egg yolks is highly preferred in mixes where total solids are lowered and prepared with butter oil or butter. Flavor can be easily mistaken as taste or feel sensation. It is very important ice cream property and resulted from mixed flavor of all ice cream components.

Important properties of flavor are intensity and type. They may be mild or harsh. So delicate and mild flavors are generally preferred. Flavor must be detected easily and provides refreshing taste in all conditions. A mix is named balanced if it has all ingredients or components proportion in a way that results in fine and desirable ice cream. If defects are present, they may not be eliminated by changing proportion of constituents and not resulted from poor mix balancing. Such defects are;.

Flavors were coconut, banana, berry and vanilla. Methodology used to analyze the samples was time-intensity method. All the fat levels showed an increase in melting rate due to increase of fat contents. Melting rate was higher in low fat ice cream.

Mono and di-glycerides MDG from vegetable fat were used in ice cream samples differing in saturation and unsaturation level. Both the emulsifier and fat influence the size of fat particles in ice cream. More destabilization of fat globules was observed due to unsaturated MDG while fat particles of reduced size in saturated MDG was seen in contrast to enhanced diameter when added partially unsaturated MDG. Melting rate was reduced with addition of PUMDG that might be explained by the resistance of ice cream towards melting due to aggregation of fat.

From this study, it was concluded that fat globule size was hardly affected due to nature of fat. Moreover, not only size of fat globule but fat crystallization also contributed to the melting rate Granger et al.

Ice cream with vanilla flavor were manufactured using high melting milk fat and anhydrous milk fat as substitutes of cream. Some samples contained emulsifiers while some samples were not emulsified. Physical and chemical analysis were performed to check the effects of emulsifier on quality. Acidity, pH, fat and total solids were found same in both type of samples either emulsified or non-emulsified. Ice cream that contained cream had more viscosity as compared to anhydrous milk fat containing sample might be due to emulsification with phospholipids.

Contrarily, low milk fat ice cream had the lower viscosity that could be explained by different composition of fatty acids in both fat types. Emulsifiers added mixes had more viscosity due to stickiness of fat particles.

Viscosity increase was attributed to the solidification of fat due to aggregation during process of aging. More the unsaturated and short chain fatty acids in low milk fat fraction, lower were the rate of solidification hence less solidified fat. Cream added mix with no emulsifier had resulted in significantly enhanced solidified fat contents. On the other hand, increased solidified fat and solidification rate was observed due to emulsifier addition.

Figure 2 Changes in solidification rate of fat in ice cream prepared with different fat sources. Ice cream hardness was not affected by the addition of low milk fat, anhydrous milk fat, very high melting milk fat and cream but emulsifiers had influence on hardness. Drier product with smoother texture and body was obtained with addition of emulsifier. Proteins adhered at the surface of water and fat molecules due to emulsifier action that resulted in improving the meltdown property.

Emulsifiers caused the agglomeration of fat which in turn finely dispersed and stabilized the air cells. So this effect was checked in the following study. In addition to meltdown test, free fat and size of fat globules were also determined in molten and mix ice cream samples. In melted serum phase, size of fat aggregates had affected the ice cream meltdown.

Increase in homogenization pressure caused the reduction in size of fat globules and vice versa. Shear forces during freezing resulted in fat particles damage which in turn caused the aggregation and fluid fat release. Less pressure during homogenization resulted in increased size of fat particles which were more vulnerable towards shear forces. Figure 3 Homogenization effect on mean diameter D 50 , 3 of fat globules.

With the increase of further globules above this critical size, melting had occurred very slowly. Melting rate was maximum affected by the drip losses containing fat which in turn affected by the size of fat particles. Melted ice cream had contained fat of smaller size than critical fat globules size while foam contained maximum fat of bigger globules as compared to critical fat diameter. From the results, it was concluded that fat globules size had major effect on ice cream melting rates but the foam structure had not been stabilized because the free fat was not enough to form continuous network.

Attachment of fat agglutinates at the surface of protein membranes present on fat globules prevented the destabilization of air cells in homogenized ice cream. Moreover, it was also concluded from the study that it might be possible to prepare ice cream using partial or selective homogenization without any damage to ice cream structure. Ice cream was analyzed for physical changes in melting, hardness and viscosity.

Hardness was measured with penetrating probe; viscosity measured through shear forces exerted by viscometer spindle while wire mesh of 2. Hardness was not differed significantly in all treatments. Ice cream sample containing Dairy Lo DL was found more viscous as compared to other samples that showed similar viscosity.

There was a significant difference of melting rates among all samples. Higher melting rate was observed in sample prepared with cocoa butter CB while milk fat ice cream had the slowest meltdown. On melting, cocoa butter sample formed a thin liquid; foamier liquid shape maintained by simplesse; thick liquid by milk fat sample and color separated foamy liquid with poor drainage shown by Dairy Lo sample.

Maximum emulsion and its stabilization was noticed in milk fat samples that maintained their structure longer as compared to other samples. From the study, it was summarized that icy structure was slowly developed by the simplesse as compared to DL.

Hedonic evaluation resulted in same consumer acceptance for all samples of cocoa ice cream. Replacement of MF with CB resulted in less creaminess and mouth coating but it turned icy after storage. Composition of ice cream mixes was given below; Flavor parameters to be evaluated were milky, creamy, buttery, whey-like, caramel and phenolic while textural properties included meltdown, perception of ice crystal, firmness and coldness Table 2.

Less milk-solids not fat MSNF and higher fat contents caused rich mouth coating but textural attributes were reduced. Increase in fat contents restricted the growth of ice crystals mechanically and smaller crystals formation occurred which affected the rate of melting.

Addition of fat had not significantly affected the sweetness but it caused the reduction in vapor pressure of flavoring chemicals. Fat addition increased the buttery and creamy flavor in contrast to no effect on milky, phenolic, whey-like and vanilla notes.

Caramel flavor was only enhanced with increased MSNF and fat. Decrease in vanilla flavor was noticed when whey protein concentrates were added that could be attributed due to condensation of aldehyde and casein. As the MSNF contents were enhanced, the creamy, phenolic, buttery and caramel notes were also enhanced. On the other hand, ice crystals, coldness and meltdown were reduced with MSNF addition. There was an inverse relationship between size of ice crystals and total solids in a way that total solids might enhanced the viscosity which restricted the diameter of ice crystals.

Interfacial phenomena in structured foods. Pages 94— Food materials science and engineering. Pelan, B. The stability of aerated milk protein emulsions in the presence of small molecule surfactants. Journal of Dairy Science, 80, — Zeng, F. Application of enzymatic synthesised glycerol monooleate in the manufacture of low fat ice cream. Journal of Food Biochemistry , 36, Chavez-Montes, B.

Rheo-reactor for studying the processing and formulation effects on structural and rheological properties of ice cream mix, aerated mix and ice cream. Polymer International, 52, Chang, Y. Development of air cells in a batch ice cream freezer. Journal of Food Engineering, 55, Lee, L.

Applications and effects of monoglycerides on frozen dessert stability. Mine, Y, Recent advances in egg protein functionality in the food system. Hasenhuettl, G. Switzerland: Springer. Morin, P. Microfiltration of buttermilk and washed cream buttermilk for concentration of milk fat globule membrane components.

Journal of Dairy Science , 90, Walstra, P. Dairy Science and Technology. Florida: CRS Press. Phan, T. Potential of milk fat globule membrane enriched materials to improve the whipping properties of recombined cream. International Dairy Journal , 39 1 , 16— Physical properties and microstructure of yoghurt enriched with milk fat globule membrane material.

Int Dairy Journal , 21 10 ,— Szkolnicka, K. Buttermilk ice cream — New method for buttermilk utilization. Food Science and Nutrition , El-Kholy, A.

Utilization of buttermilk in low fat ice cream making. Ismailia Journal of Dairy Science and Technology. What I can understand after reading your post is that Buttermilk has a better overall effect and partial coalescence than egg yolks which have protein. You wrote few words about sweet cream buttermilk, but did You already tried that? Thank You in advance for some helpful answer.

Best regards. I assume the stage in which these ingredients are added is critical. You should add them in during the pasteurisation stage together with the other dry ingredients.

It is imperative to whisk them well into the dry ingredients so that they are dispersed into the mixture and not clumped together.

This will ensure that they are able to perform their function to full potential. Phenomenal article! Not only is the science awesome, its written in a digestible manner with an emphasis on practicality. Amazing job bridging science and food. Kurti, McGee, Barham, Porto! Can anyone shed light on the research done I think in Sweden where 8 ice creams were tested and found that the emulsifying agents carry on working after eating and then thin the mucus membrane and stomach wall linings.

Hi Ruben, can you recommend a good source for food-grade polysorbate 80? Thanks for getting in touch. Check out modernist pantry. You can also commercial contact ice cream ingredient suppliers for samples. Is it necessary to add protein in non-dairy ice creams? Or can you just add lecithin? For example, if you were making a non-dairy ice cream using olive oil, and it did not have any naturally occurring protein, do you need to add both protein and lecithin?

Or Just lecithin? So protein emulsifies the mix and prevents fat separating from water, which may lead to clumps of fat forming when you freeze your non-dairy ice cream. Proteins also increase mix viscosity create a thicker mix , which is important for the promotion of smooth and creamy texture. Without added protein, you may find that you get a really fluid watery mix that produces coarse or icy ice cream. Hi Ruben! Whole eggs have a lower solids content than yolks The hibiscus flowers have a high acid content, so steeping the flowers with the milk and cream caused the milk to curdle.

So I made a hibiscus syrup to add after the base has been cooled. Is it the acid separating the fat at a slower rate? In the case of milk, each fat droplet is coated with a layer of milk proteins that prevents the fat droplets from interacting with one another.

Because these milk proteins have a nonpolar side, and because like dissolves like, the nonpolar sides of the proteins are attracted to the nonpolar fat globules. This is good in milk, but not so good in ice cream, in which the fat droplets should coalesce to trap air. So another emulsifier is added to allow the fat droplets to coalesce. This emulsifier replaces milk proteins on the surface of the fat droplets, leading to a thinner membrane, which is more likely to coalesce during whipping.

A common emulsifier is lecithin, found in egg yolks. Lecithin is a generic term that refers to a group of molecules that consist of long chains of fatty acids linked to a glycerol molecule, along with choline and a phosphate group Fig. Lecithin inserts itself between the fat globules, which helps the fat globules to clump together and, as a result, the air bubbles that are present in the mix are trapped by this partially coalesced fat.

This adds firmness and texture to the ice cream, enabling it to retain its shape. Closely related to emulsifiers are stabilizers, which make the texture creamy. Stabilizers have two roles: First, they prevent large crystal formation. In the presence of stabilizers, ice cream contains small ice crystals that are easier to disperse and, therefore, they melt more slowly than larger ice crystals would. Second, emulsifiers act like a sponge by absorbing and then locking into place, any liquid in the ice cream.

Common stabilizers are proteins such as gelatin and egg whites. Guar gum, locust bean gum, and xanthan gum can also be used. Look for carrageenan and sodium alginate on the ingredient label of your ice cream container. Both are derived from seaweed!

Without these stabilizers, ice cream might look like a milkshake. Once you get all of the ingredients together in a mixture, you need to freeze the mixture to form ice cream. The dissolved solutes mostly sugar in the liquid portion of the mixture lower its freezing point. A freezing point depression of 1. Freezing point depression is a colligative property, meaning that the effect is observed regardless of the specific identity of the solute—all that matters is how many moles are dissolved.

A recent trend is ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. One shop in San Francisco, Calif. Because the ice cream freezes so quickly, the size of the crystals is small, resulting in a creamy texture. And because it boils when it hits the mixture, the ice cream is aerated during the process. It is no exaggeration to say that ice cream made with liquid nitrogen is the coolest ice cream around! Types of Ice Cream Soft-serve ice cream, frozen custard, and frozen yogurt. What is the difference?

This higher temperature is responsible for a softer product. Soft-serve ice cream, or soft serve, for short, contains less fat and more air than regular ice cream. Soft serve with insufficient air will have a yellowish color.

The whiter the soft serve, the better the quality. As ice cream melts, you may have noticed this yellow color, which is simply the actual color of the ingredients used to make it. By adding air and fluffing it up, ice cream is better able to reflect white light, producing the white color. This is because the molecules in ice cream are large enough to reflect visible light whereas, for example, water molecules are too small to reflect visible light, because the size of a water molecule is smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.

Frozen custard differs from ice cream in that it contains at least 1. The egg yolks are made of lecithin, an excellent emulsifier.