The main function of non-fat or lean milk solids in milk is to retain the water present in the mixture and help balance it. It is the ingredient that gives body and structure to ice cream. It has great power to absorb water, fixing it and reducing the percentage of "free water" in the mix, which prevents ice crystals. It helps to incorporate and retain air naturally through agitation in the freezing phase.
Skimmed Milk Powder (Non-Fat Milk Solids)
The fats in milk are found to a greater or lesser extent in almost all dairy products. Milk contains almost 9%. Cream 6%, but the main source of non-fat milk solids is skimmed milk powder. There are several types of powdered milk on the market, but for practical purposes it is preferable to use skimmed milk powder, spray-type powder or, better yet, granulated spray.
It is the ingredient that gives body and structure to ice cream. It has great water absorption power, fixing it and reducing the percentage of "free water" in the mixture, which prevents ice crystals.
In the composition of skimmed milk powder we find lactose, 50% of the total. It is a sugar, the only one of animal origin, which as such slows down and influences the freezing point of the mix. It has the property of absorbing up to 10 times its weight in water, which on the one hand helps to retain free water, but in excessive amounts it can cause the rest of the solids to not find water, resulting in a sandy ice cream. It is advisable not to exceed 10% powdered milk in the total mixture.
38% of powdered milk are proteins, excellent emulsifiers that provide creaminess and help to incorporate and retain air. Among them, casein stands out for its quantity and quality, which has the peculiarity of "precipitating" or "cutting" in the presence of acid at a pH of 4.5 or less. This is a drawback if we want to make milk or cream ice cream with acid or citrus fruits. The rest of skimmed milk powder are vitamins, mineral salts and moisture.
Fat matter (F.M.)
Fats, also called lipids, when they are in a solid state or, in the case of oil, in a liquid state, perform important functions in ice cream: they provide creaminess and body, they confer a smoother and more unctuous texture, they imprint a characteristic flavor (if they are of dairy origin) and help to incorporate air (up to 8-10%).
There are several reasons that advise using fat of dairy origin: the consumer knows and appreciates it more; being, by nature, partially emulsified, they are easier to incorporate into the mix. In addition, the current regulations oblige us, if we want the denomination of Cream (maximum quality), that our ice cream contain a minimum of 8% milk fat and 2.5% milk protein.
The main sources of milk fat are naturally whole milk (between 3.2 and 3.6%) and cream (between 30 and 40%).
AussieBlends® offers a wide variety of Ice Cream Mixes to cover the requirements of ice cream makers.We offer Dairy Mixes, Vegan Mixes, No Added Sugar Mixes, and Sorbet Mixes.Our Ice Cream Mixes are blended for different ice cream preparation processes like Gelato, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, Soft Serve, and Rolled Ice Cream.
