A Comparison of Pressure and Centrifugal Homogenization of Ice Cream Mixes

Abstract

Summary The two-stage homogenization of ice cream mixes at low pressures produced mixes which were similar in viscosity and size of fat globules to mixes processed with the centrifugal colloidal mill, except that the colloidal mill ice cream mixes contain no fat globule clumps. The ice creams prepared from these mixes containing gelatin were likewise similar in body and texture. When ice cream mixes prepared without gelatin were homogenized with pressures on the first stage ranging from 4000 to 1000 pounds, decreasing at 500 pound intervals with a constant pressure of 500 pounds on the second stage, they showed a gradual decrease in viscosity from 4000 pounds to zero pressure. The colloidal mill mixes were a little less viscous than the unhomogenized mixes. The fat globules showed a slight increase in size from 4000 to 2500 pounds pressure with greater increases at each succeeding reduction in pressure. The texture and quality of the ice creams were good at the higher pressures with a trace of coarseness at the 2500 pounds pressure. The ice creams prepared from mixes processed at the lower pressures were coarse and the centrifugal colloidal mill ice cream was a trifle coarser than the unhomogenized ice cream. When ice cream mixes prepared without gelatin were homogenized with a constant pressure of 2500 pounds on the first stage and the pressure on the second stage was decreased from 2000 to 500 pounds at 500 pound intervals, the 2500 first-stage and 2000 pound second-stage pressure mixes were more viscous, contained larger fat globule clumps and whipped a little less readily than the mixes with a greater difference in pressure between the first and second stage. The body and texture of the ice creams prepared from these mixes were similar.