Ice-cream mixes are formulated from whole milk, skimmed milk, cream and, in some cases, water, with a number of additional ingredients such as sweeteners, stabilisers, emulsifiers, flavourings and colourings.
All the mixes are prepared using liquid and solid products, for which INOXPA solutions satisfy all process and automation requirements for dosing and mixing.
The typical ice-cream mix preparation process consists of the following phases:
- The liquid ingredients, heated to facilitate dissolving and hydration of solid ingredients, are loaded into the mixing tank.
- The powdered ingredients are added to the liquid ingredients using an INOXPA blender and stirred in the mixing tank to obtain optimum dispersion. They can be mixed beforehand when dry, to facilitate their dosing and incorporation into the liquid.
- Butter and other fats are usually melted in a separate container, before being added to the mix.
- Once the mixing process is complete, the mix is pasteurised at 85 ºC and homogenised by a high-pressure homogeniser. The homogenisers normally used for ice-cream mix have a special homogenisation head, designed to work with abrasive products.
- The product is left to mature in a retention tank to complete its hydration and obtain a homogeneous mix.
- Flavourings and colourings may be added at this stage.
- The resulting mix is moved to the freezer where a controlled amount of air is whipped into the mix.
In the case of ice cream, body and texture play a key role in the success of the final product.
As well as quality raw materials, the physical mixing process and its control are extremely important for ensuring a high-quality mix is delivered to the freezer, as the essential starting point for a successful product.
INOXPA solutions for preparing ice-cream mixes combine advanced mixing and agitation equipment, highly efficient heat treatment and top-of-the-range automation, to provide clients in the sector with all the tools they need to meet the challenges posed by this market.
