Low fat ice cream

This chapter discusses the ingredients, processes and storage of ice cream and their impact on texture. The main components in an ice cream mix are fat, milk solids but not fat, sweeteners and stabilizers and emulsifiers. Low fat ice cream differs from regular ice cream in the total fat content. In low fat ice cream the fat content of the mix is between 3-4%, that is, the volume fraction of fat is lower than regular ice cream. If the mix is not formulated to compensate for the lower fat content, the total solids of the mix will be low and management of more water through the freezing, storage and distribution can pose problems of texture deterioration. The role of temperature during storage, transportation and distribution is another critical factor in determining texture of ice cream and frozen desserts. Minimizing temperature fluctuations helps prolong the textural attributes of ice cream.