Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Many factors, including the flavor, body and texture, melting quality, color, package,
appearance, and influence quality, the overall acceptability of the product by
consumers.
Appearance is the first aspect of a product to influence customers. This may be the
appearance of the package in the supermarket cabinet, or it may be the appearance
of the ice cream in the serving dish on the table. Appearance of the package is
important, because obviously if the package is not attractive to prospective
customers, they will not buy it. The quality of the ice cream itself will never be
evaluated if the package doesn't attract interest.
Appearance also includes the ice cream's color. It has a marked psychological effect
on acceptability of foods of all types, and ice cream is no exception. How often have
you seen a dish of chocolate ice cream with a dull, murky appearance reminiscent of
mud, or a strawberry ice cream so brightly colored that you know it has to be
imitation? The various quality factors concerning appearance influence our opinion
as consumers even before we taste it, a product, and therefore these factors should
be carefully considered and adequately addressed in a quality-control program. A
good start has been made in producing a readily acceptable product when it has
been made to look delicious. Once the appetite is whetted and a delightful flavor is
anticipated, consumers are psychologically ready for a delicious taste sensation. At
this point, all other quality factors become subordinate to flavor. If the flavor is not up
to expectations, consumers will be disappointed and will consider the product to be
of poor quality, regardless of the merits of other quality factors.
Appearance of the ice cream itself is normally where most consumers start to
differentiate among the qualities of ice creams. Here, dipping characteristics--
gummy, sticky body; coarse, icy texture; pleasing color indicative of flavor; and
appearance of flavoring pieces (if present)--all play a part in influencing consumers.
How the ice cream melts down (melt-down) is a minor factor affecting appearance,
and is normally noticed only in extreme cases--either adversely as a curdled,
wheyed-off melted product, or favorably as an especially smooth, creamy, rich-
appearing melted product.
Textural characteristics of the ice cream are important and influence by may factors.
If two samples of the same ice cream are handled differently to produce a coarser
(icy) texture than another with the same formulations, the sample with the better
texture will be considered to a better flavor. In eating ice cream, one becomes
intimately interwoven with flavor sensations, and the ice cream texture, in this case
icy or course can either complement or detract from the apparent flavor.
Milkfat accounts for most of the rich-sensations of ice cream, and only a limited
amount of substitution with other ingredients can be made without changing the
product's characteristics. Milkfat contributes a mellowness and flavor as no other
constituent can. Emulsifiers are helpful here, as are the phospholipids found in good-
quality buttermilk powder, but much reduction in milkfat will affect the eating quality
of the product.
Milk solids-not-fat (SNF) contributes to flavor but are most important to the body and
texture of ice cream. Proteins bind water to act as stabilizers, have an emulsifying
effect on the fat, and give viscosity and chewiness to the body. Milk solids also
include salts and lactose. If used in excessive amounts, milk solids cause a
condensed-milk or milk protein flavor, but in most cases saltiness will be the limiting
factor on the amount of milk solids that can be used.
For many years the fear of lactose crystallization (described as sandy) forced
manufacturers to limit the solids-not-fat in ice cream to 12% or less. Today, however,
there is little danger in sandiness developing under commercial conditions. In fact,
there is no excuse for sandiness in ice cream because technical advances have
made it possible to eliminate this defect. Some experimental data indicate that the
incidence of sandiness is increased when the drawing temperature is decreased.
Because milk solids tend to mask delicate flavors, it is necessary to use more
flavoring materials in order to make the flavor apparent. This is especially true for
vanilla and fruit flavors, in which high levels of solids-not-fat interfere with the flavor.
The more SNF, the more flavoring will generally be needed. Sweeteners play an
important role in any ice cream, and the current trend is to add them in increasing
quantities. They have three important functions: to give sweetness, to add to the
solids content, and to lower the freezing point so that the product is soft and smooth
at low temperatures, say 10 F.
For many years the industry has taken it for granted that the desirable level for
sweetness is 15%, based on consumer tests. Increased sweetness in fruit ice
creams is particularly important. Because fruit acids depress the apparent sweetness
and because the added bulk of the fruit dilutes the mix, the body and texture is
poorer. The higher sugar level brings out the fruit flavor and at the same time
improves the body and texture. Recent trends in the use of sweeteners have been to
increase the amount of corn syrup or corn solids and to use blends. Changes that
result in a less expensive product are readily accepted.
The use of additional corn solids is justified, but not merely on the basis of
economics. Corn syrups got their start initially as table sugar substitutes during
World War II, when they were used to stretch the sugar rations available to ice
cream manufacturers. During this period it became apparent that corn syrup had
certain desirable properties that imparted improved quality to the ice cream, if the
corn syrup was used wisely. Corn syrup improves and helps to maintain smoothness
when the ice cream encounters temperature fluctuations of heat-shock. It gives a
desirable chewiness to the body of the product due to the presence of dextrins, high-
molecular-weight polysaccharides that remain after acid hydrolysis of the cornstarch
to produce corn syrup. Not all corn syrups have the same composition; in fact, there
is a considerable range depending primarily on the extent of hydrolysis used in their
preparation. Corn syrups have a characteristic flavor of their own, and if used in
excessive amounts they interfere with natural flavoring materials. Even when used in
sub-threshold levels, when the flavor of the syrup itself cannot be detected, there is a
masking effect on ice cream flavor, particularly for vanilla.
Gums of various kinds are useful as stabilizers in ice cream because of their
characteristic property of imbibing or absorbing large amounts of water. This
characteristic is effective in limiting the natural tendency of ice cream to become
coarse in texture during storage. Numerous types of animal and vegetable products
have been found effective in ice cream and as a result a considerable range of
stabilizers is available on the market. The primary purpose of stabilizers is to
maintain the smooth texture by inhibiting the formation and growth of ice crystals, but
other considerations are also important. Their effect on flavor, color, viscosity,
whipping ability and meltdown should also be considered.
The effect of the stabilizer on viscosity in relation to temperature and age has very
practical significance. If the viscosity is increased immediately and greatly, the mix
will be difficult to cool. On the other hand, if the stabilizer imbibes water slowly and
takes time to establish a gel structure, an aging period is necessary, and viscosity
will vary with age. Constant physical characteristics are important when mix is sold,
or when it is necessary to freeze the mix immediately after processing.
Some gums are especially effective in increasing viscosity; others produce a heavier
body or provide better resistance to heat shock. Many have certain limitations if used
alone, such as a curdy meltdown or coagulation of the milk proteins, and cause the
mix to whey-off. Most commercial stabilizers are blends or various gums
standardized to give uniform results from lot to lot. These products are more effective
in maintaining good texture and aid in producing a heavier, chewier ice cream.
Emulsifiers have become more uniform, more versatile, and almost essential to
modern ice cream manufacturing. They are especially useful in producing a stiff, dry
product for specialty items, but they also have their place in regular manufacturing
and packaging operations. The ice cream is smoother, creamier, and more melt-
resistant when emulsifiers are used. However, excessive use causes an unnatural
slickness, a partially churned appearance, and product that does not melt. In some
cases the flavor is adversely affected, too.
Summary
It is apparent from this discussion that each ice cream ingredient has specific
functions that it alone can perform most effectively. However, there is a definite
overlapping of some of the functions. For example, all ingredients influence body and
texture, so that a variety of variations can still produce an acceptable product. One
must be careful when altering ingredients to assure that the eating quality is not
impaired.
Composition control is essential in obtaining and maintaining quality. The ice cream's
ingredients serve specific functions in supplying the characteristic properties of the
final product. Several ingredients may influence some properties, so that similar
results can be obtained by altering the quantities of any or all of them. Other
properties of ice cream depend primarily on one ingredient.
Link: https://drinc.ucdavis.edu/dairy-foods/quality-factors-ice-cream#:~:text=Many
%20factors%2C%20including%20the%20flavor,a%20product%20to%20influence
%20customers.
Dịch