Effect of stabilizers on fat destabilization measurements in ice cream

It has been reported that a high linear correlation exists between fat dest abilization indices in ice cream and the fat content of the dripped portion of ice cream following controlled meltdown on a mesh screen. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of commonly used ice cream s tabilizers on fat destabilization tests and melt down analysis in ice cream s in which the extent of partial coalescence was varied through the use of varying emulsifier levels. The aim was to verify the efficacy of fat quanti fication in the dripped portion during meltdown as an index of fat destabil ization in ice cream. A high linear correlation was seen between fat destab ilization in the ice creams and % of fat able to drip during meltdown. It w as thus concluded that quantification of the fat content in the dripped por tion of a controlled meltdown test was a good indicator of fat destabilizat ion in ice cream. This measurement is not affected by the presence of stabi lizing gums in the aqueous phase. Such a measurement would be an inexpensiv e, readily available technique for rapid quantification of structure for ic e cream manufacturers.