A Low-Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Ice Cream. II. Influence of Selected Ingredients and Processes

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of processing parameters, viz., incorporation of polysaccharide stabilizers, freezing rates, and storage times and temperatures on the microstructure of ice cream. As the freezing rate was reduced, ice crystals and air bubbles increased in size. However, quenchfreezing also contributed to poor texture; thus an optimum freezing rate exists for the production of suitably-sized ice crystals and texture in ice cream. Model systems of polysaccharide stabilizer solutions were seen to have a characteristic network structure when quenchfrozen which was altered by the addition of sucrose. Stabilized ice cream initially had smaller mean ice crystal diameters than unstabilized samples and also held its structure better during storage at fluctuat ing temperatures as measured through ice crysta l growth and sensory analysis.