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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types☆
Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Typesq HD Goff, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction Product Types Ice Cream Gelato Frozen Custard Fat-Reduced and Non-fat Products No Added Sugar/Sugar Free/Low Glycemic Index Products Sherbets Frozen Yogurt Soft-Frozen Products Milkshakes and Smoothies Impulse/Hand-Held/“Novelty”/Fancy-Molded Products Summary Further Reading
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Introduction Frozen dairy desserts are characterized by containing milk solids (which may or may not include milk fat) and being consumed in the frozen state. Typically the freezing is performed while the mix is under shear (“dynamic” freezing, as opposed to quiescently frozen, although there are several exceptions) and the products are also concomitantly whipped such that they contain air and thus can be categorized as a frozen foam (although again there are some notable exceptions, such as frozen pelleted ice cream mix in the form of a bead or sphere). Within the frozen dairy desserts category, ice cream is the most widely consumed product and can be found with many variations: regular ice cream (usually defined by minimum levels of fat and either food solids or milk solids or both, according to the legal definition of the country involved, so therefore also including higher-fat premiumtype products), low-fat or non-fat versions, no-added-sugar or sugar-free versions, all available in multiple flavors and shapes (including hand-held or impulse-purchase products). Some of the current low-fat, low-sugar brands also contain high levels of milk protein. The category can be further divided according to hard-frozen products, those that contain a second freezing step after the dynamic-freezing step, and soft-frozen products, those that are consumed directly after dynamic-freezing with no hardening step. Gelato is an Italian-style ice cream or light ice cream that is typically whipped to a lower air content compared to ice cream and is traditionally served fresh at 8 to 10 C without hardening. Also, frozen dairy desserts include frozen custard, frozen yogurt and sherbet, all of which could be hard or soft frozen, and frozen milkshakes and smoothies. Frozen desserts in general (again, characterized by being consumed in the frozen state) would also include products that contain no milk-derived ingredients, e.g. sorbets, water ices or plant-protein based products such as coconut, rice, almond or soy frozen desserts, although formulations for these are not discussed further. All of these products generally contain seven categories of ingredients: fat, milk solids not-fat (the source of protein), sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, water and flavors. Manufacturing is performed by the preparation of a suitable liquid mix by blending, pasteurizing, homogenizing, cooling and aging at 4 C; subsequently freezing that mix to 5 C through a scraped-surface freezer while under shear (which incorporates air and produces small, discrete ice crystals); optionally incorporating any flavoring materials that will remain discrete in the product (fruits, nuts, candy or bakery pieces); packaging or shaping (as in the case of “novelty” or “impulse” products); and then finally blast freezing these products to a temperature of 25 to 30 C. This article further defines and describes ice cream and the other frozen dairy desserts. Ingredients and processes are detailed in the article on Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts/Manufacture. The ice cream industry in 2017 was estimated to be valued at US$ 73 billion in sales world-wide, 25% market share by value in Asia Pacific, 24% in Western Europe and 22% in North America. There was a very slight (2%) overall decline in value from 2012 to 2017, modest increases in Asia Pacific and North America were offset by a decline in the Western European market. Global production of ice cream was 20 billion liters in 2017, up from 15.3 billion liters in 2006 and 18.5 billion liters in 2012. Asia Pacific has 35% market share by volume, but only 25% by value, whereas Western Europe has 18% of market share by volume but 24% by value. There was an overall 8% growth in production between 2012 and 2017. Asia Pacific, Australasia and Middle East/ Africa all showed 10%–20% production growth, but no growth was seen in markets in Latin America, North America and Western Europe. In the European Union, Germany is the largest producer of ice cream (590 million liters in 2011), followed by France (450 million liters), Italy (430 million liters), United Kingdom (430 million liters) and Spain (350 million liters). Italy, however, had the highest value of ice cream sold (1.3 million Euro), followed by Germany (1.1 million Euro).
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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
Table 1
Global per capita consumption of ice cream and related products by region (2017)
Region
Consumption (L)
Australasia North America Western Europe Eastern Europe Latin America Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa
19.4 13.0 7.2 3.5 2.3 1.7 0.9
Global per capita consumption of ice cream and related products by global region is presented in Table 1. By country, New Zealand ranks first at 28 L, followed by the United States at 21 L and Australia at 18 L. Many Western European countries fall into the range of 7–10 L per capita. The world-wide value is approximately 2.4 L. Even though China is a world leader in production, its per capita consumption falls below the world average. Although not quite the largest consumer of ice cream and related products, the United States is the largest producer, at 5.84 billion liters in 2015. This can be sub-divided as follows: 3.4 billion liters (58%) regular ice cream, 1.89 billion liters (32.4%) low-fat and non-fat ice cream, 268 million liters (4.6%) water ice, 260 million liters (4.5%) frozen yogurt, and 174 million liters (2.9%) sherbet. Comparing 2005 to 2015, there was growth in overall production of only 0.5%, a 6% decline in regular ice cream but a 20% increase in low fat ice cream. Hard frozen dairy products comprise 75% of US production while soft-frozen products comprise 25%; however, these are not evenly divided amongst the categories – 87% of regular ice cream was hard-frozen, while 55% of frozen yogurt and 50% of lowfat ice cream was soft-frozen. The production of hard-frozen regular and lowfat products fell by 1.5% from 2005 to 2015 while the production of soft-frozen products increased by 7.7%. Per capita consumption of total frozen dairy products in the US dropped from 11.3 to 10.6 kg from 2005 to 2015, regular ice cream dropped from 7 kg to 6 kg while reduced fat ice cream increased from 2.7 to 3 kg during this time. Global market share according to point of manufacture/consumption: take-home, impulse or bulk, scooped products, is shown in Table 2. The take-home category is defined as grocery store purchases and home consumption, the impulse category is categorized by hand-held, single serving eat-on-the-spot products (sometimes referred to as novelty products), while the bulk, scooped category is defined as being commercially manufactured (excluding artisanal production) and sold by the manufacturer to a retailer for scooping. There are very large differences in market share amongst these categories globally, impacted in large part by the presence of home freezers. The ice cream industry is very progressive with many new product introductions annually. Some of the current formulation trends in the industry include a growing interest in clean-label, all-natural ingredients; “reduced” or “no” claims for fat, calories or sugar, sometimes accompanied by higher levels of protein; the use of nutritionally-functional additives (e.g., vitamins, minerals or nutraceuticals) or flavors showing added nutritional functionality (e.g., high in antioxidants); a renewed focus on frozen yogurt, particularly with probiotic cultures, although this represents a very small segment of the overall total market of frozen desserts; and formulations approved as kosher or halal compliant. It is also interesting to note that despite numerous new product introductions in the health and wellness category, one of the top trends guiding product development identified by ice cream manufacturers in the United States in 2017 is the gourmet and indulgent category. Many consumers choose to consume a premium or super-premium indulgent product but limit portion size rather than compromise on quality with a larger portion of a reduced-fat or low-fat product.
Table 2
Global market share (%) characterized by point-of-consumption, 2017
Global, by volume Global, by monetary value Regional, by monetary value North America Australasia Western Europe Latin America Eastern Europe Middle East/Africa Asia Pacific a
Take-home
Impulse
Bulk a
50.1 46.5
32.5 47.8
17.3 5.7
78.1 76.9 54.1 30.1 29.1 26.7 25.8
19.1 22.9 27.0 69.2 70.5 68.2 74.1
2.8 0.2 18.9 0.7 0.4 5.1 0.9
Sold through scooping shops. Excluding artisanal scooped ice cream. Value determined at sale from the manufacturer to the retailer.
Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
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Products are also marketed with a growing social awareness, including fair trade to primary producers, organic products, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility by aligning products with particular social justice causes.
Product Types Ice Cream Ice cream composition is highly regulated in most all jurisdictions. The US compositional standards, for example, can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Food and Drugs, Part 135 Frozen Desserts and subsections for definitions, ice cream and frozen custard, goats’ milk ice cream, mellorine (ice cream with non-dairy fat substituted for milk fat), sherbet and water ices. According to the US standard for frozen desserts, regular ice cream must contain at least 10% milk fat and 20% total milk solids. Ice cream containing 10% milk fat and 10% milk solids not-fat provides approximately 3.5%–4% milk-derived protein. Manufacturers are permitted to substitute up to 25% of the milk solids not-fat content with the solids of cheese whey. The regulations for ice cream products within each legal jurisdiction will vary somewhat from those of the United States. For example, in Canada regular ice cream must contain at least 10% milk fat and 36% total solids but there is no minimum for total milk solids. In Australia and New Zealand, a minimum milk fat content of 10% and 168 g food solids per L is required in ‘Ice Cream’, although light, lowfat and non-dairy versions are all available. In Europe, Euroglaces (the European Ice Cream Association) has prepared a Code for Edible Ices, revised in 2013, that includes standard definitions of products with appropriate translations. In this code, ‘Edible Ices’ are made from a mix with approved food ingredients, have a solid or pasty texture which is obtained from freezing, and are stored, transported, sold and consumed in a frozen state. ‘Ice Cream’ is an edible ice and is an emulsion typically composed of water and/or milk, edible fats, proteins and sugars. Dairy and/or non-dairy proteins are optional, but dairy and/or non-dairy edible fats are mandatory. ‘Milk Ice’ is an edible ice that contains at least 2.5% of exclusively dairy fat and at least 6% milk solids-not-fat and contains no non-dairy proteins or fats. ‘Dairy Ice Cream’ is an edible ice that contains at least 5% dairy fat, at least some dairy protein and contains no non-dairy proteins or fats. Many of the European countries adhere to these standards or continue to push for changing regulations to do so. Legal standards also usually exist for the amount of air that can be incorporated into ice cream. “Overrun” is the increase in volume that the manufacturer obtains in the frozen product compared to the volume of the mix. It can be calculated by volume or by weight. For example, if 5000 L of mix are frozen into 9000 L of finished ice cream, the overrun is calculated as (Vol. of ice cream – Vol. of mix used to make that ice cream)/Vol. of mix x 100%, e.g., (9000–5000)/5000 ¼ 80%. Overrun can also be calculated for individual containers by determining the portion of the mix displaced by air, as follows: % package overrun ¼ [mix weight (g/L) – product weight (g/L)]/product weight (g/L) x 100%. For example, if a 1 L container of unfrozen mix weighs 1100 g and 1 L of the frozen product weighs only 550 g, the increase in volume is twofold and the overrun is 100%. In the US regulations, ice cream must weigh at least 540 g/L and contain at least 192 g food solids/L. This limits the maximal amount of air that can be whipped into the mix during freezing to approximately100%, or the same volume as the volume of the mix that goes into the package. Canada requires a minimum of 180 g food solids/L but no minimum weight per volume. The Euroglaces Code for Edible Ices does not specify minimum weights per unit of volume. Standards for ice cream provide opportunities for manufacturers to go beyond the minimum requirements to make a range of product qualities, defined loosely as “economy”, “regular”, “premium” or “super-premium” ice creams (Table 3). Economy ice creams typically are at the minimum requirements for composition and maximum limits for overrun, are made with the most
Table 3
Approximate composition (%) of commercial frozen desserts by formulation category
Group
Milk fat
Milk solids not-fat
Sweeteners a
Stabilizers b
Total solids
Non-fat ice cream Low-fat ice cream Light ice cream Reduced-fat ice cream Economy ice cream Standard ice cream Premium ice cream Super premium ice cream Frozen yogurt: regular Frozen yogurt: non-fat Sherbet
<0.5 2–5 5–7 7–9 10 10–12 12–14 14–18 3–6 <0.5 1–2
12–14 12–14 11–12 10–12 10–11 9–10 8–10 5–8 9–13 9–14 1–3
18–22 18–21 18–20 18–19 15–17 14–17 13–16 14–17 15–17 15–17 22–28
1.0 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.2–0.4 0.2–0.4 0–0.2 0.5 0.6 0.4–0.5
28–32 28–32 30–35 32–36 35–36 36–38 38–40 40–42 30–36 28–32 28–34
a
Includes sucrose, glucose, corn syrup solids, maltodextrins, polydextrose and other bulking agents, some of which contribute little sweetness. Includes ingredients such as locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, cellulose gum and cellulose gel, as stabilizers, and also mono- and di-glycerides and polysorbate 80, as emulsifiers. b
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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
economical ingredients and sell for the lowest price. Increasing amounts of higher quality ingredients as well as less overrun characterize standard, premium and super-premium products, all of which fall within the legal definitions of “ice cream”. Whereas economy ice cream may be made using the more concentrated and shelf-stable dairy products, such as butter, skim milk powder and dry whey, super-premium products are more likely to be prepared from fresh concentrated milk and cream. Furthermore, economy ice creams tend to contain high amounts of corn sweeteners and stabilizers, and to be flavored artificially, whereas premium and super-premium ice creams may contain mostly sucrose as sweetener, little or no stabilizer, and natural flavors. Fruits, nuts, chocolate, baked items, confections and ripple sauces are favorite flavorings to frozen desserts. Any liquid flavors or colors that are to become homogeneously distributed throughout the ice cream are generally added to the mix prior to freezing whereas those that are discrete in the products are added after dynamic freezing through a rate-controlled ingredient feeder or ripple pump. In the US, the top flavors in 2017 were vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, butter pecan, strawberry and Neapolitan (three-flavor vanilla, chocolate and strawberry). Vanilla-flavored ice cream accounts for 30% of ice cream production; not only is it consumed as is but it is a popular topping for desserts and is used in milkshakes, banana splits, sundaes, etc., within the retailing sector.
Gelato Gelato is Italian-style ice cream. Traditionally, it is not hardened but served fresh, within a day or two of manufacture, and typically at a lower temperature than for soft-serve. It is lower in both fat and air compared to hard-frozen ice cream and is typically characterized by bold, intense flavors, some unique to Italian gelato such as nicciola (hazelnut), gianduja (chocolate hazelnut) or stracciatella (flaked chocolate). Many commercial ice cream manufacturers are also producing a gelato-style packaged product.
Frozen Custard Formulations for frozen custard, also known as “French ice cream” (e.g., French Vanilla), are generally the same as for other ice creams of the same flavor, except that egg yolk solids are added. In the United States the minimum amount of egg yolk solids is 1.4%. The French product “glace aux oeufs” must contain at least 7% egg yolk solids. The German product called “Kremeis” contains at least 240 g of whole or whipped egg per litre of milk used in the formula.
Fat-Reduced and Non-fat Products Fat-reduced (“light”), low-fat and non-fat products have increasingly gained in popularity with the global obesity epidemic and the desire for consumers to reduce caloric intake while satisfying their demand for sweet and creamy desserts, and also with increasing nutritional knowledge regarding the increased risk of cardio-vascular disease with higher intake of saturated fats. The following are the US Food and Drug Administration requirements for labeling of foods with lowered fat content: reduced fat - at least 25% less fat than in the reference product; light - 50% reduction in total fat compared with the reference product, or one-third reduction in calories if less than 50% of the calories are from fat; low-fat: not more than 3 g of total fat per serving; non-fat or fat-free - less than 0.5 g of fat per serving. A serving is commonly 120 mL. In Canada, lower-fat versions are defined as light ice cream (5%–7.5% milk fat), ice milk (3%–5% milk fat) or frozen dairy dessert (undefined fat content). The Euroglaces Code for Edible Ices specifies a minimum of 2.5% fat for milk ice. Approximate compositions of fat-reduced products appear in Table 3. As fat is removed from ice cream formulations, other ingredients must be added to keep the water content within reasonable limits for two reasons: (1) regulations stipulate a minimum concentration of food solids or dry matter, and (2) too much water means too much ice in the frozen product resulting in a very cold and icy product with poor keeping quality. It is possible to formulate reduced fat or “light” ice creams, down to about 4%–5% fat, with traditional ingredients. The low temperature extrusion process, which takes ice cream from 5 to 12 C under defined shear conditions in a screw extruder, enables reduced-fat products with similar textures to their full-fat counterparts, due to reduced ice crystal and air bubble size distributions. However, with low-fat products, less than 4% fat, there exists a greater product development challenge and the need to utilize fat replacers. Traditionally, fat replacers have been classified in relation to the materials that comprise them: carbohydrate, protein or fat-based. Water-soluble carbohydrate polymers typically used in low-fat formulations include cellulose products, starches, dextrins, maltodextrins, polydextrose and inulin. Carbohydrate-type fat replacers contribute bulk and increase viscosity while helping to limit growth of ice crystals. The common sources of protein-type fat replacers are cheese whey and egg white. These proteins are processed into colloidal particles that vary in diameter from 0.1 to 3.0 mm, a size range that permits them to be sensed on the tongue as creamy. Monoacylglycerols and diacylglycerols are useful in low concentrations (<1.0%) as fat-based fat mimetics. Decreasing the fat content of ice cream decreases the creamy sensation and increases the intensities of flavors of skim milk powder and of corn syrup. Vanilla flavor is perceived more quickly in non-fat ice cream than ice cream containing 10% milk fat. A current trend is to enhance lowfat ice cream with high protein content. In these formulations, milk protein concentrates or isolates (>85% protein) or whey protein concentrates or isolates can be used to achieve protein content in the mix of 7% or higher. Solubility of the protein ingredients may be an issue, requiring lengthy hydration times to avoid a chalky texture or protein precipitation or a curdy-appearing meltdown. High protein ingredients must also impart a clean taste.
Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
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No Added Sugar/Sugar Free/Low Glycemic Index Products The global rise in prevalence of Type II diabetes mirrors the global epidemic in obesity, suggesting that sugar reductions or no-added -sugar products should be a popular choice. Diabetic people have an impaired capacity to decrease blood glucose levels after consumption of high sugar-containing products. For these people, the large amount of sucrose and glucose normally used in ice cream needs to be replaced with an acceptable sweetener, to lower the glycemic index of the product. Many other consumers are also choosing to limit their sugar intake. The sugar alcohols, or polyols, have been the sweeteners of choice since they are absorbed much more slowly than glucose. When substituting sweeteners in ice cream formulations, the factors to be considered include sweetness, freezing point depression and contribution to total solids. Sorbitol (a monosaccharide) has been used for many years but the intake of sorbitol must be restricted because of its laxative nature. Other polyol sweeteners include xylitol or mannitol (both monosaccharides) or maltitol or lactitol (both disaccharides). Erythritol is a newly-available low molecular weight sugar alcohol that can provide freezing point depression at lower concentration than the other polyols. The disaccharide polyols allow matching of the freezing curves to conventional formulations due to their freezing point depression characteristics. If necessary, sweetness levels can be boosted with a non-nutritive high potency sweetener such as aspartame or sucralose or the natural sweeteners stevia or monkfruit, but these by themselves do not contribute to total solids or freezing point depression. Likewise, total solids or viscosity (bulk) can be enhanced with products like inulin or polydextrose, but these do not contribute either sweetness or freezing point depression. Thus careful blending of alternative sweeteners is required to provide all of the necessary functional properties when producing nosugar-added products. Sugar-free products have the added complication of needing to eliminate lactose from the milk solids not-fat component of the mix, which can be done with the use of milk protein-derived ingredients. Lactose hydrolysis can be used to produce lactose-free products for consumers with lactose malabsorption, but it leaves the glucose and galactose monosaccharides.
Sherbets Sherbets are frozen dairy desserts characterized by being low in milk ingredients, high in sugar and slightly acidified. Milk solids, including milk fat, is usually limited to 5% while total sweetener content can approach 25% or greater in a product that contains 30%–35% total solids (Table 3). A general formulation might contain 1%–2% milk fat and 3%–4% milk solids not-fat. Sherbets typically have an acidity not less than 0.35% calculated as citric acid. Most sherbets are flavored with fruit, fruit juice or juice concentrates, and artificial flavorings. Citrus flavors (lime, lemon, orange) are quite common. Examples of non-fruit sherbets are those flavored with spices, chocolate, or coffee. Particulates, such as pieces of fruit, may also be added to sherbets.
Frozen Yogurt Frozen yogurt characteristically has the composition of light or low-fat ice cream (Table 3). Additionally, it contains cultures of the two yogurt bacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and these have been fermented to produce developed acidity. Typically, these bacteria are added to a portion of milk that has been heated to 85 C and held for 15 min. The mixture is then incubated at about 42 C to permit acid and flavor to be produced. This cultured material is then added to the other ingredients of the mix that have been pasteurized. Commonly, 10%–20% of plain yogurt is added to the sweet mix to produce a titratable acidity, expressed as lactic acid, of about 0.30%. Some processors have added the probiotic (health-promoting) bacteria, Bifidobacterium spp. and/or Lb. acidophilus and/or Lb. casei to frozen yogurt. Both have the potential to become resident in the colon when ingested in high numbers where they provide numerous health benefits. Additionally, prebiotics, such as inulin, may be added to the product as nutrients for the probiotic bacteria.
Soft-Frozen Products Sales of dairy desserts soft-frozen at the site of consumption had their beginning in the 1930s and grew quite rapidly after World War II. Any of the above categories of products - ice cream, frozen custard, low-fat ice cream, or frozen yogurt – can be served soft-frozen although there are typically slight variations in soft-serve formulations compared to their hard frozen counterparts. As shown by the data above, in the US (2015) soft-frozen dairy products accounted for 25% of the total frozen dairy dessert market and about 50% of the low-fat ice cream market. Soft-frozen products are typically prepared at the site of consumption from mixes that have been processed in dairy processing facilities and are packaged and distributed in bulk. Low-fat mixes for soft-serve typically contain 3%–5% fat, 11%–14% milk solids not-fat, 13%–15% sweetener and 0.3%–0.5% stabilizer/emulsifier. Mixes used for soft-frozen ice cream are relatively low in total solids, 30%–35%, compared with those used for hard-frozen ice creams, 36%–40%. However, the amount of overrun in the soft-frozen desserts is commonly 50% versus 90%–100% for hard-frozen ice creams. Soft-serve freezers are of the batch type. The refrigeration system maintains a set temperature so that frozen product can be dispensed over an extended time. This means that mixes must be formulated to limit churning of fat caused by agitation within the freezer cylinder during times of slow product turnover.
Milkshakes and Smoothies Milk shakes, like soft-frozen products, are prepared for consumption at the retail outlet directly from milk shake mixes that have been processed at a dairy processing facility and packaged and shipped in bulk containers. These products are common in fast-
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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
food outlets. A typical mix contains 3% milk fat, 13% milk solids not-fat, 8% sugar, 3% corn syrup solids and 0.4% stabilizer, giving a total solids content of 28.4%. Smoothies are a category similar to milkshakes but containing a wider range of other flavoring ingredients. Many formulations exist for smoothies, but most typical is a blend of whole fruit and/or fruit juice or vegetable juice, cream or yogurt and crushed ice. The mixture is blended in a high-speed blender and served promptly.
Impulse/Hand-Held/“Novelty”/Fancy-Molded Products This category of products can be made from any of the above categories of formulations - ice cream, frozen custard, low-fat ice cream, or frozen yogurt – but is characterized by purchase in a single-serving size for immediate consumption while being hand-held and generally eaten without a spoon. It is also characterized by being “novel” in shape or design or flavor or presentation (e.g., chocolate enrobed or with a bakery product or in the form of a well-known chocolate bar product), to attract impulse purchases and excitement on the part of the consumer. Products can be specifically directed to various market segments, such as children’s or adult novelty products. Examples are quiescently frozen ice cream bars, combinations of ice cream with flavored coatings and confections, sandwiches, cone and cup items, and fancy-molded products. Ice cream sandwiches are the top novelty item in the United States (2017). As previously discussed and shown in Table 2, in some parts of the world this category represents a large fraction of the total ice cream market. It also represents more added value than the take-home product market. Novelties can be formed in molds, for example with stick insertion, or a very stiff form of the product can be extruded onto a very cold surface in a variety of shapes or subsequently pressed into a variety of shapes, also with possible sick insertion, and passed through a freezing tunnel. Coatings can also be applied after hard freezing is completed. Among the novelty items intended for multiple servings are fancifully decorated cakes and pies made with frozen desserts. Frequently these are made in specialty ice cream shops, but they can also be produced on a larger scale in ice cream factories.
Summary Manufacturers of ice cream and related frozen dairy desserts combine in varying proportions a variety of dairy and non-dairy ingredients, including sweeteners and flavorings, to make a liquid mix, freeze this mix while stirring to incorporate air and to produce small ice crystals and smooth texture, add flavorings, either shape them into novelty items or package them for take-home or scooped products, and harden them at very cold temperatures. The wide variety of product types includes ice cream, as defined by the legal jurisdiction, reduced or low-fat or non-fat varieties, reduced or low or no-sugar varieties, frozen yogurt, sherbet and others. Ice cream can be further subdivided into economy, standard, premium and super-premium categories. Soft-frozen products are generally frozen at the retail level from a prepared mix and served immediately. Milkshakes and smoothies are also considered as frozen dairy desserts. With so many variables in formulations, ingredients and processes available to the producer, and with opportunities to vary the shape, size and presentation of the product, consumers can enjoy a surprisingly large variety of frozen desserts at a wide range of costs. The industry that started with the addition of flavorings to snow now satisfies the desires of consumers wherever milk is produced and refrigeration is available.
Further Reading Goff, H.D., Hartel, R.W., 2013. Ice Cream, seventh ed. Springer, New York. Tharp, B.W., Young, L.S., 2013. Tharp and Young on Ice Cream. Destech Publications, Lancaster, PA.
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Change History: July 2018. H.D. Goff updated text and further reading.
Introduction Product Types Ice Cream Gelato Frozen Custard Fat-Reduced and Non-fat Products No Added Sugar/Sugar Free/Low Glycemic Index Products Sherbets Frozen Yogurt Soft-Frozen Products Milkshakes and Smoothies Impulse/Hand-Held/“Novelty”/Fancy-Molded Products Summary Further Reading
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Introduction Frozen dairy desserts are characterized by containing milk solids (which may or may not include milk fat) and being consumed in the frozen state. Typically the freezing is performed while the mix is under shear (“dynamic” freezing, as opposed to quiescently frozen, although there are several exceptions) and the products are also concomitantly whipped such that they contain air and thus can be categorized as a frozen foam (although again there are some notable exceptions, such as frozen pelleted ice cream mix in the form of a bead or sphere). Within the frozen dairy desserts category, ice cream is the most widely consumed product and can be found with many variations: regular ice cream (usually defined by minimum levels of fat and either food solids or milk solids or both, according to the legal definition of the country involved, so therefore also including higher-fat premiumtype products), low-fat or non-fat versions, no-added-sugar or sugar-free versions, all available in multiple flavors and shapes (including hand-held or impulse-purchase products). Some of the current low-fat, low-sugar brands also contain high levels of milk protein. The category can be further divided according to hard-frozen products, those that contain a second freezing step after the dynamic-freezing step, and soft-frozen products, those that are consumed directly after dynamic-freezing with no hardening step. Gelato is an Italian-style ice cream or light ice cream that is typically whipped to a lower air content compared to ice cream and is traditionally served fresh at 8 to 10 C without hardening. Also, frozen dairy desserts include frozen custard, frozen yogurt and sherbet, all of which could be hard or soft frozen, and frozen milkshakes and smoothies. Frozen desserts in general (again, characterized by being consumed in the frozen state) would also include products that contain no milk-derived ingredients, e.g. sorbets, water ices or plant-protein based products such as coconut, rice, almond or soy frozen desserts, although formulations for these are not discussed further. All of these products generally contain seven categories of ingredients: fat, milk solids not-fat (the source of protein), sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, water and flavors. Manufacturing is performed by the preparation of a suitable liquid mix by blending, pasteurizing, homogenizing, cooling and aging at 4 C; subsequently freezing that mix to 5 C through a scraped-surface freezer while under shear (which incorporates air and produces small, discrete ice crystals); optionally incorporating any flavoring materials that will remain discrete in the product (fruits, nuts, candy or bakery pieces); packaging or shaping (as in the case of “novelty” or “impulse” products); and then finally blast freezing these products to a temperature of 25 to 30 C. This article further defines and describes ice cream and the other frozen dairy desserts. Ingredients and processes are detailed in the article on Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts/Manufacture. The ice cream industry in 2017 was estimated to be valued at US$ 73 billion in sales world-wide, 25% market share by value in Asia Pacific, 24% in Western Europe and 22% in North America. There was a very slight (2%) overall decline in value from 2012 to 2017, modest increases in Asia Pacific and North America were offset by a decline in the Western European market. Global production of ice cream was 20 billion liters in 2017, up from 15.3 billion liters in 2006 and 18.5 billion liters in 2012. Asia Pacific has 35% market share by volume, but only 25% by value, whereas Western Europe has 18% of market share by volume but 24% by value. There was an overall 8% growth in production between 2012 and 2017. Asia Pacific, Australasia and Middle East/ Africa all showed 10%–20% production growth, but no growth was seen in markets in Latin America, North America and Western Europe. In the European Union, Germany is the largest producer of ice cream (590 million liters in 2011), followed by France (450 million liters), Italy (430 million liters), United Kingdom (430 million liters) and Spain (350 million liters). Italy, however, had the highest value of ice cream sold (1.3 million Euro), followed by Germany (1.1 million Euro).
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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
Table 1
Global per capita consumption of ice cream and related products by region (2017)
Region
Consumption (L)
Australasia North America Western Europe Eastern Europe Latin America Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa
19.4 13.0 7.2 3.5 2.3 1.7 0.9
Global per capita consumption of ice cream and related products by global region is presented in Table 1. By country, New Zealand ranks first at 28 L, followed by the United States at 21 L and Australia at 18 L. Many Western European countries fall into the range of 7–10 L per capita. The world-wide value is approximately 2.4 L. Even though China is a world leader in production, its per capita consumption falls below the world average. Although not quite the largest consumer of ice cream and related products, the United States is the largest producer, at 5.84 billion liters in 2015. This can be sub-divided as follows: 3.4 billion liters (58%) regular ice cream, 1.89 billion liters (32.4%) low-fat and non-fat ice cream, 268 million liters (4.6%) water ice, 260 million liters (4.5%) frozen yogurt, and 174 million liters (2.9%) sherbet. Comparing 2005 to 2015, there was growth in overall production of only 0.5%, a 6% decline in regular ice cream but a 20% increase in low fat ice cream. Hard frozen dairy products comprise 75% of US production while soft-frozen products comprise 25%; however, these are not evenly divided amongst the categories – 87% of regular ice cream was hard-frozen, while 55% of frozen yogurt and 50% of lowfat ice cream was soft-frozen. The production of hard-frozen regular and lowfat products fell by 1.5% from 2005 to 2015 while the production of soft-frozen products increased by 7.7%. Per capita consumption of total frozen dairy products in the US dropped from 11.3 to 10.6 kg from 2005 to 2015, regular ice cream dropped from 7 kg to 6 kg while reduced fat ice cream increased from 2.7 to 3 kg during this time. Global market share according to point of manufacture/consumption: take-home, impulse or bulk, scooped products, is shown in Table 2. The take-home category is defined as grocery store purchases and home consumption, the impulse category is categorized by hand-held, single serving eat-on-the-spot products (sometimes referred to as novelty products), while the bulk, scooped category is defined as being commercially manufactured (excluding artisanal production) and sold by the manufacturer to a retailer for scooping. There are very large differences in market share amongst these categories globally, impacted in large part by the presence of home freezers. The ice cream industry is very progressive with many new product introductions annually. Some of the current formulation trends in the industry include a growing interest in clean-label, all-natural ingredients; “reduced” or “no” claims for fat, calories or sugar, sometimes accompanied by higher levels of protein; the use of nutritionally-functional additives (e.g., vitamins, minerals or nutraceuticals) or flavors showing added nutritional functionality (e.g., high in antioxidants); a renewed focus on frozen yogurt, particularly with probiotic cultures, although this represents a very small segment of the overall total market of frozen desserts; and formulations approved as kosher or halal compliant. It is also interesting to note that despite numerous new product introductions in the health and wellness category, one of the top trends guiding product development identified by ice cream manufacturers in the United States in 2017 is the gourmet and indulgent category. Many consumers choose to consume a premium or super-premium indulgent product but limit portion size rather than compromise on quality with a larger portion of a reduced-fat or low-fat product.
Table 2
Global market share (%) characterized by point-of-consumption, 2017
Global, by volume Global, by monetary value Regional, by monetary value North America Australasia Western Europe Latin America Eastern Europe Middle East/Africa Asia Pacific a
Take-home
Impulse
Bulk a
50.1 46.5
32.5 47.8
17.3 5.7
78.1 76.9 54.1 30.1 29.1 26.7 25.8
19.1 22.9 27.0 69.2 70.5 68.2 74.1
2.8 0.2 18.9 0.7 0.4 5.1 0.9
Sold through scooping shops. Excluding artisanal scooped ice cream. Value determined at sale from the manufacturer to the retailer.
Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
3
Products are also marketed with a growing social awareness, including fair trade to primary producers, organic products, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility by aligning products with particular social justice causes.
Product Types Ice Cream Ice cream composition is highly regulated in most all jurisdictions. The US compositional standards, for example, can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Food and Drugs, Part 135 Frozen Desserts and subsections for definitions, ice cream and frozen custard, goats’ milk ice cream, mellorine (ice cream with non-dairy fat substituted for milk fat), sherbet and water ices. According to the US standard for frozen desserts, regular ice cream must contain at least 10% milk fat and 20% total milk solids. Ice cream containing 10% milk fat and 10% milk solids not-fat provides approximately 3.5%–4% milk-derived protein. Manufacturers are permitted to substitute up to 25% of the milk solids not-fat content with the solids of cheese whey. The regulations for ice cream products within each legal jurisdiction will vary somewhat from those of the United States. For example, in Canada regular ice cream must contain at least 10% milk fat and 36% total solids but there is no minimum for total milk solids. In Australia and New Zealand, a minimum milk fat content of 10% and 168 g food solids per L is required in ‘Ice Cream’, although light, lowfat and non-dairy versions are all available. In Europe, Euroglaces (the European Ice Cream Association) has prepared a Code for Edible Ices, revised in 2013, that includes standard definitions of products with appropriate translations. In this code, ‘Edible Ices’ are made from a mix with approved food ingredients, have a solid or pasty texture which is obtained from freezing, and are stored, transported, sold and consumed in a frozen state. ‘Ice Cream’ is an edible ice and is an emulsion typically composed of water and/or milk, edible fats, proteins and sugars. Dairy and/or non-dairy proteins are optional, but dairy and/or non-dairy edible fats are mandatory. ‘Milk Ice’ is an edible ice that contains at least 2.5% of exclusively dairy fat and at least 6% milk solids-not-fat and contains no non-dairy proteins or fats. ‘Dairy Ice Cream’ is an edible ice that contains at least 5% dairy fat, at least some dairy protein and contains no non-dairy proteins or fats. Many of the European countries adhere to these standards or continue to push for changing regulations to do so. Legal standards also usually exist for the amount of air that can be incorporated into ice cream. “Overrun” is the increase in volume that the manufacturer obtains in the frozen product compared to the volume of the mix. It can be calculated by volume or by weight. For example, if 5000 L of mix are frozen into 9000 L of finished ice cream, the overrun is calculated as (Vol. of ice cream – Vol. of mix used to make that ice cream)/Vol. of mix x 100%, e.g., (9000–5000)/5000 ¼ 80%. Overrun can also be calculated for individual containers by determining the portion of the mix displaced by air, as follows: % package overrun ¼ [mix weight (g/L) – product weight (g/L)]/product weight (g/L) x 100%. For example, if a 1 L container of unfrozen mix weighs 1100 g and 1 L of the frozen product weighs only 550 g, the increase in volume is twofold and the overrun is 100%. In the US regulations, ice cream must weigh at least 540 g/L and contain at least 192 g food solids/L. This limits the maximal amount of air that can be whipped into the mix during freezing to approximately100%, or the same volume as the volume of the mix that goes into the package. Canada requires a minimum of 180 g food solids/L but no minimum weight per volume. The Euroglaces Code for Edible Ices does not specify minimum weights per unit of volume. Standards for ice cream provide opportunities for manufacturers to go beyond the minimum requirements to make a range of product qualities, defined loosely as “economy”, “regular”, “premium” or “super-premium” ice creams (Table 3). Economy ice creams typically are at the minimum requirements for composition and maximum limits for overrun, are made with the most
Table 3
Approximate composition (%) of commercial frozen desserts by formulation category
Group
Milk fat
Milk solids not-fat
Sweeteners a
Stabilizers b
Total solids
Non-fat ice cream Low-fat ice cream Light ice cream Reduced-fat ice cream Economy ice cream Standard ice cream Premium ice cream Super premium ice cream Frozen yogurt: regular Frozen yogurt: non-fat Sherbet
<0.5 2–5 5–7 7–9 10 10–12 12–14 14–18 3–6 <0.5 1–2
12–14 12–14 11–12 10–12 10–11 9–10 8–10 5–8 9–13 9–14 1–3
18–22 18–21 18–20 18–19 15–17 14–17 13–16 14–17 15–17 15–17 22–28
1.0 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.2–0.4 0.2–0.4 0–0.2 0.5 0.6 0.4–0.5
28–32 28–32 30–35 32–36 35–36 36–38 38–40 40–42 30–36 28–32 28–34
a
Includes sucrose, glucose, corn syrup solids, maltodextrins, polydextrose and other bulking agents, some of which contribute little sweetness. Includes ingredients such as locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, cellulose gum and cellulose gel, as stabilizers, and also mono- and di-glycerides and polysorbate 80, as emulsifiers. b
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Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
economical ingredients and sell for the lowest price. Increasing amounts of higher quality ingredients as well as less overrun characterize standard, premium and super-premium products, all of which fall within the legal definitions of “ice cream”. Whereas economy ice cream may be made using the more concentrated and shelf-stable dairy products, such as butter, skim milk powder and dry whey, super-premium products are more likely to be prepared from fresh concentrated milk and cream. Furthermore, economy ice creams tend to contain high amounts of corn sweeteners and stabilizers, and to be flavored artificially, whereas premium and super-premium ice creams may contain mostly sucrose as sweetener, little or no stabilizer, and natural flavors. Fruits, nuts, chocolate, baked items, confections and ripple sauces are favorite flavorings to frozen desserts. Any liquid flavors or colors that are to become homogeneously distributed throughout the ice cream are generally added to the mix prior to freezing whereas those that are discrete in the products are added after dynamic freezing through a rate-controlled ingredient feeder or ripple pump. In the US, the top flavors in 2017 were vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, butter pecan, strawberry and Neapolitan (three-flavor vanilla, chocolate and strawberry). Vanilla-flavored ice cream accounts for 30% of ice cream production; not only is it consumed as is but it is a popular topping for desserts and is used in milkshakes, banana splits, sundaes, etc., within the retailing sector.
Gelato Gelato is Italian-style ice cream. Traditionally, it is not hardened but served fresh, within a day or two of manufacture, and typically at a lower temperature than for soft-serve. It is lower in both fat and air compared to hard-frozen ice cream and is typically characterized by bold, intense flavors, some unique to Italian gelato such as nicciola (hazelnut), gianduja (chocolate hazelnut) or stracciatella (flaked chocolate). Many commercial ice cream manufacturers are also producing a gelato-style packaged product.
Frozen Custard Formulations for frozen custard, also known as “French ice cream” (e.g., French Vanilla), are generally the same as for other ice creams of the same flavor, except that egg yolk solids are added. In the United States the minimum amount of egg yolk solids is 1.4%. The French product “glace aux oeufs” must contain at least 7% egg yolk solids. The German product called “Kremeis” contains at least 240 g of whole or whipped egg per litre of milk used in the formula.
Fat-Reduced and Non-fat Products Fat-reduced (“light”), low-fat and non-fat products have increasingly gained in popularity with the global obesity epidemic and the desire for consumers to reduce caloric intake while satisfying their demand for sweet and creamy desserts, and also with increasing nutritional knowledge regarding the increased risk of cardio-vascular disease with higher intake of saturated fats. The following are the US Food and Drug Administration requirements for labeling of foods with lowered fat content: reduced fat - at least 25% less fat than in the reference product; light - 50% reduction in total fat compared with the reference product, or one-third reduction in calories if less than 50% of the calories are from fat; low-fat: not more than 3 g of total fat per serving; non-fat or fat-free - less than 0.5 g of fat per serving. A serving is commonly 120 mL. In Canada, lower-fat versions are defined as light ice cream (5%–7.5% milk fat), ice milk (3%–5% milk fat) or frozen dairy dessert (undefined fat content). The Euroglaces Code for Edible Ices specifies a minimum of 2.5% fat for milk ice. Approximate compositions of fat-reduced products appear in Table 3. As fat is removed from ice cream formulations, other ingredients must be added to keep the water content within reasonable limits for two reasons: (1) regulations stipulate a minimum concentration of food solids or dry matter, and (2) too much water means too much ice in the frozen product resulting in a very cold and icy product with poor keeping quality. It is possible to formulate reduced fat or “light” ice creams, down to about 4%–5% fat, with traditional ingredients. The low temperature extrusion process, which takes ice cream from 5 to 12 C under defined shear conditions in a screw extruder, enables reduced-fat products with similar textures to their full-fat counterparts, due to reduced ice crystal and air bubble size distributions. However, with low-fat products, less than 4% fat, there exists a greater product development challenge and the need to utilize fat replacers. Traditionally, fat replacers have been classified in relation to the materials that comprise them: carbohydrate, protein or fat-based. Water-soluble carbohydrate polymers typically used in low-fat formulations include cellulose products, starches, dextrins, maltodextrins, polydextrose and inulin. Carbohydrate-type fat replacers contribute bulk and increase viscosity while helping to limit growth of ice crystals. The common sources of protein-type fat replacers are cheese whey and egg white. These proteins are processed into colloidal particles that vary in diameter from 0.1 to 3.0 mm, a size range that permits them to be sensed on the tongue as creamy. Monoacylglycerols and diacylglycerols are useful in low concentrations (<1.0%) as fat-based fat mimetics. Decreasing the fat content of ice cream decreases the creamy sensation and increases the intensities of flavors of skim milk powder and of corn syrup. Vanilla flavor is perceived more quickly in non-fat ice cream than ice cream containing 10% milk fat. A current trend is to enhance lowfat ice cream with high protein content. In these formulations, milk protein concentrates or isolates (>85% protein) or whey protein concentrates or isolates can be used to achieve protein content in the mix of 7% or higher. Solubility of the protein ingredients may be an issue, requiring lengthy hydration times to avoid a chalky texture or protein precipitation or a curdy-appearing meltdown. High protein ingredients must also impart a clean taste.
Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
5
No Added Sugar/Sugar Free/Low Glycemic Index Products The global rise in prevalence of Type II diabetes mirrors the global epidemic in obesity, suggesting that sugar reductions or no-added -sugar products should be a popular choice. Diabetic people have an impaired capacity to decrease blood glucose levels after consumption of high sugar-containing products. For these people, the large amount of sucrose and glucose normally used in ice cream needs to be replaced with an acceptable sweetener, to lower the glycemic index of the product. Many other consumers are also choosing to limit their sugar intake. The sugar alcohols, or polyols, have been the sweeteners of choice since they are absorbed much more slowly than glucose. When substituting sweeteners in ice cream formulations, the factors to be considered include sweetness, freezing point depression and contribution to total solids. Sorbitol (a monosaccharide) has been used for many years but the intake of sorbitol must be restricted because of its laxative nature. Other polyol sweeteners include xylitol or mannitol (both monosaccharides) or maltitol or lactitol (both disaccharides). Erythritol is a newly-available low molecular weight sugar alcohol that can provide freezing point depression at lower concentration than the other polyols. The disaccharide polyols allow matching of the freezing curves to conventional formulations due to their freezing point depression characteristics. If necessary, sweetness levels can be boosted with a non-nutritive high potency sweetener such as aspartame or sucralose or the natural sweeteners stevia or monkfruit, but these by themselves do not contribute to total solids or freezing point depression. Likewise, total solids or viscosity (bulk) can be enhanced with products like inulin or polydextrose, but these do not contribute either sweetness or freezing point depression. Thus careful blending of alternative sweeteners is required to provide all of the necessary functional properties when producing nosugar-added products. Sugar-free products have the added complication of needing to eliminate lactose from the milk solids not-fat component of the mix, which can be done with the use of milk protein-derived ingredients. Lactose hydrolysis can be used to produce lactose-free products for consumers with lactose malabsorption, but it leaves the glucose and galactose monosaccharides.
Sherbets Sherbets are frozen dairy desserts characterized by being low in milk ingredients, high in sugar and slightly acidified. Milk solids, including milk fat, is usually limited to 5% while total sweetener content can approach 25% or greater in a product that contains 30%–35% total solids (Table 3). A general formulation might contain 1%–2% milk fat and 3%–4% milk solids not-fat. Sherbets typically have an acidity not less than 0.35% calculated as citric acid. Most sherbets are flavored with fruit, fruit juice or juice concentrates, and artificial flavorings. Citrus flavors (lime, lemon, orange) are quite common. Examples of non-fruit sherbets are those flavored with spices, chocolate, or coffee. Particulates, such as pieces of fruit, may also be added to sherbets.
Frozen Yogurt Frozen yogurt characteristically has the composition of light or low-fat ice cream (Table 3). Additionally, it contains cultures of the two yogurt bacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and these have been fermented to produce developed acidity. Typically, these bacteria are added to a portion of milk that has been heated to 85 C and held for 15 min. The mixture is then incubated at about 42 C to permit acid and flavor to be produced. This cultured material is then added to the other ingredients of the mix that have been pasteurized. Commonly, 10%–20% of plain yogurt is added to the sweet mix to produce a titratable acidity, expressed as lactic acid, of about 0.30%. Some processors have added the probiotic (health-promoting) bacteria, Bifidobacterium spp. and/or Lb. acidophilus and/or Lb. casei to frozen yogurt. Both have the potential to become resident in the colon when ingested in high numbers where they provide numerous health benefits. Additionally, prebiotics, such as inulin, may be added to the product as nutrients for the probiotic bacteria.
Soft-Frozen Products Sales of dairy desserts soft-frozen at the site of consumption had their beginning in the 1930s and grew quite rapidly after World War II. Any of the above categories of products - ice cream, frozen custard, low-fat ice cream, or frozen yogurt – can be served soft-frozen although there are typically slight variations in soft-serve formulations compared to their hard frozen counterparts. As shown by the data above, in the US (2015) soft-frozen dairy products accounted for 25% of the total frozen dairy dessert market and about 50% of the low-fat ice cream market. Soft-frozen products are typically prepared at the site of consumption from mixes that have been processed in dairy processing facilities and are packaged and distributed in bulk. Low-fat mixes for soft-serve typically contain 3%–5% fat, 11%–14% milk solids not-fat, 13%–15% sweetener and 0.3%–0.5% stabilizer/emulsifier. Mixes used for soft-frozen ice cream are relatively low in total solids, 30%–35%, compared with those used for hard-frozen ice creams, 36%–40%. However, the amount of overrun in the soft-frozen desserts is commonly 50% versus 90%–100% for hard-frozen ice creams. Soft-serve freezers are of the batch type. The refrigeration system maintains a set temperature so that frozen product can be dispensed over an extended time. This means that mixes must be formulated to limit churning of fat caused by agitation within the freezer cylinder during times of slow product turnover.
Milkshakes and Smoothies Milk shakes, like soft-frozen products, are prepared for consumption at the retail outlet directly from milk shake mixes that have been processed at a dairy processing facility and packaged and shipped in bulk containers. These products are common in fast-
6
Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: Product Types
food outlets. A typical mix contains 3% milk fat, 13% milk solids not-fat, 8% sugar, 3% corn syrup solids and 0.4% stabilizer, giving a total solids content of 28.4%. Smoothies are a category similar to milkshakes but containing a wider range of other flavoring ingredients. Many formulations exist for smoothies, but most typical is a blend of whole fruit and/or fruit juice or vegetable juice, cream or yogurt and crushed ice. The mixture is blended in a high-speed blender and served promptly.
Impulse/Hand-Held/“Novelty”/Fancy-Molded Products This category of products can be made from any of the above categories of formulations - ice cream, frozen custard, low-fat ice cream, or frozen yogurt – but is characterized by purchase in a single-serving size for immediate consumption while being hand-held and generally eaten without a spoon. It is also characterized by being “novel” in shape or design or flavor or presentation (e.g., chocolate enrobed or with a bakery product or in the form of a well-known chocolate bar product), to attract impulse purchases and excitement on the part of the consumer. Products can be specifically directed to various market segments, such as children’s or adult novelty products. Examples are quiescently frozen ice cream bars, combinations of ice cream with flavored coatings and confections, sandwiches, cone and cup items, and fancy-molded products. Ice cream sandwiches are the top novelty item in the United States (2017). As previously discussed and shown in Table 2, in some parts of the world this category represents a large fraction of the total ice cream market. It also represents more added value than the take-home product market. Novelties can be formed in molds, for example with stick insertion, or a very stiff form of the product can be extruded onto a very cold surface in a variety of shapes or subsequently pressed into a variety of shapes, also with possible sick insertion, and passed through a freezing tunnel. Coatings can also be applied after hard freezing is completed. Among the novelty items intended for multiple servings are fancifully decorated cakes and pies made with frozen desserts. Frequently these are made in specialty ice cream shops, but they can also be produced on a larger scale in ice cream factories.
Summary Manufacturers of ice cream and related frozen dairy desserts combine in varying proportions a variety of dairy and non-dairy ingredients, including sweeteners and flavorings, to make a liquid mix, freeze this mix while stirring to incorporate air and to produce small ice crystals and smooth texture, add flavorings, either shape them into novelty items or package them for take-home or scooped products, and harden them at very cold temperatures. The wide variety of product types includes ice cream, as defined by the legal jurisdiction, reduced or low-fat or non-fat varieties, reduced or low or no-sugar varieties, frozen yogurt, sherbet and others. Ice cream can be further subdivided into economy, standard, premium and super-premium categories. Soft-frozen products are generally frozen at the retail level from a prepared mix and served immediately. Milkshakes and smoothies are also considered as frozen dairy desserts. With so many variables in formulations, ingredients and processes available to the producer, and with opportunities to vary the shape, size and presentation of the product, consumers can enjoy a surprisingly large variety of frozen desserts at a wide range of costs. The industry that started with the addition of flavorings to snow now satisfies the desires of consumers wherever milk is produced and refrigeration is available.
Further Reading Goff, H.D., Hartel, R.W., 2013. Ice Cream, seventh ed. Springer, New York. Tharp, B.W., Young, L.S., 2013. Tharp and Young on Ice Cream. Destech Publications, Lancaster, PA.
q
Change History: July 2018. H.D. Goff updated text and further reading.