GB2191676A

GB2191676A - Ice-cream formulation

Info

Publication number: GB2191676A
Application number: GB08614891A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donald Alexander Charle Stuart; Michael James Lewis
Original assignee: FRANESK Ltd
Current assignee: FRANESK Ltd
Priority date: 1986-06-19
Filing date: 1986-06-19
Publication date: 1987-12-23
Also published as: GB8614891D0

Abstract

An ice-cream mix which contains less than 12% by weight sucrose and less than 7% by weight fats comprises skim-milk, skim-milk powder, glucose, a saturated fat, a stabiliser and/or emulsifier, and, as desired, flavouring and/or colouring agents, and is stable to UHT (ultra-heat treatment) at 140 DEG C. Ice cream may be obtained by freezing the mix after it has been subjected to UHT.

Description

SPECIFICATION Ice-cream Formulations This invention relates to formulations used to prepare ice-cream having a low fat content and a low total sugars content.

Known ice-cream formulations comprise skimmilk, fats, sucrose and glucose. They generally have a sucrose content of at least 10% by weight. The total sugars content may be more than 15% by weight.

In the United Kingdom, ice-cream must have a fat content of at least 5%. Particularly with the presentday emphasis on low-fatfoods, it would be desirable to produce a satisfactory ice-cream having a total fat content close to the lowest allowed limit.

An object behind the present invention is to formulate an ice-cream mix having an extended shelf-life, and which can be frozen to produce an icecream having low sugar and fat contents.

An ice-cream mix according to the invention contains less than 12% by weight sucrose and less than 7% by weight fats, and comprises skim-milk, skim-milk powder, glucose, a saturated fat, a stabiliser and/or emulsifier, and, as desired, flavouring and/or colouring agents, and which is stable to UHT (ultra-heat treatment) at 140 C.

Further aspects of the invention lie in the UHTtreated mix, preferably aseptically packed, and in ice-cream obtained by freezing the UHT-treated mix.

Skim-milk (or "semi-skim milk") providesthe liquid base for compositions of the invention. The ice-cream mix may comprise at least 72.5, and usually at least 75%, by weight skim-milk, and up to 85 or, more usually, 80% by weight skim-milk. The skim-milk itself may have a faf content of up to 3% by weight, e.g. approximately 1% by weight.

Skim-milk powder is used in addition to skimmilk, in order to impart the desired consistency to an ice-cream mix of the invention. Skim-milk powder may be the most expensive component of an icecream composition, but the amount which is used may be no more than 4.5, e.g. 2 to 4, % by weight.

The skim-milk may be derived from any of a variety of sources.

The amount of non-fat milk solids in a composition of the invention, i.e. the non-fat solids in the skim-milk powder or skim-milk, or in any full cream milk and/or cream which is used, will usually be lotto 20% by weight, e.g. about 14% by weight, of the formulation other than fat and sugar.

The sucrose content of an ice-cream mix of the invention may be no more than 10% by weight. It has been found that, at these levels, raw cane sugar can be used without detriment to the taste of the product. In order to supplement the raw cane sugar or other source of sucrose, and to give body to the product without excessive sweetness, the novel product comprises glucose or a derivative thereof, e.g. in an amount of up to 5% by weight of the product. Dextrose may be used, and has the effect of making the product softer. A suitable glucose derivative is powdered cerelose monohydrate.

The fat which is used may be conventional in icecream formulation. It is suitably a natural oil which has been hardened, e.g. a partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil. For example, hardened palm kernel oil may be used for non-dairy applications. Instead, dairy fat would be used for a dairy ice-cream. The amount of this component in the product is preferably from 5 to 6.5% by weight.

An ice-cream mix of the invention includes a stabiliser, in order that the product shou Id withstand heat treatment. A commercially-available stabiliser may be used. Known flavouring and/or colouring agents may be used, having regard to the desired appearance and taste of the product, but these components (used in very small quantities) should be able to withstand temperatures in preparation of a UHT product. The temperature may be of the order of 140 C.

In general, flavours can change significantly during heat-treatment, and during the flash-cooling process involved in UHT direct steam-injection. The flavour, and also the stabiliser and colour, used in the present invention should not only be stable to UHT, but also be stable during any storage, e.g. for up to 6 months, and on freezing.

A UHT-treated ice-cream mix of the invention may be prepared by the following sequence of seven or eight (step e not being essential) steps: (a) combine the ingredients; (b) heat to 65"C; (c) partially homogenise at low pressure (under 7,000 kPa); (d) UHT at 140"C (indirect or direct steam-injection method) for 2 sec: (e) de-aeratethe mixture (not an essential step if indirect UHT is used); (f) homogenise downstream in two stages, respectively at 14,000 kPa and 3,500 kPa; (g) cool to 20"C; and (h) pack aseptically.

Using the eight-step procedure given above, 900 litres of a UHT (indirect) vanilla ice-cream mix was prepared from 110 keg raw cane sugar, 62.5 kg hardened palm kernel oil, 25 kg cerelose monohydrate, 37 kg skim-milk powder, 3 kg stabiliser (SI 320)2 2 litres flavour (NA D813), 28 g colour (H74264) and 742 litres skim-milk. The respective proportions by weight of the eight components in the given formulation are 9.7, 5.5, 2.2,3.3,0.2,0.2, negligible and 79.0 (ail to the nearest 0.1 %).

Claims

1. An ice-cream mix which contains less than 12% by weight sucrose and less than 7% by weight fats, and comprises skim-milk, skim-milk powder, glucose, a saturated fat, a stabiliser and/or emulsifier, and, as desired, flavouring and/or colouring agents, and which is stable to UHT (ultraheat treatment) at 1400C.

2. An ice-cream mix according to claim 1, which comprises 72.5 to 85% by weight skim-milk.

3. An ice-cream mix according to claim 1 or claim 2, which comprises 2 to 4% by weight skim-milk powder.

4. An ice-cream mix according to any preceding claim, which comprises from 10 to 20% by weight, other than fat and sugar, of non-fat milk solids.

5. An ice-cream mix according to claim 1, substantially as exemplified herein.

6. An ice-cream mix according to any preceding claim, which has been subjected to ultra-heat treatment.

7. A treated ice-cream mix according to claim 6, aseptically packed.

8. Ice cream obtained by freezing a treated icecream mix according to claim 6.