Ice cream ingredients

The main ingredients in ice cream are milk, sugar, milk or vegetable fat, flavour (and sometimes colour). Ice is formed in the ice cream during the freezing process. Each of these components is essential to the ice cream experience.

There may be additional ingredients depending, of course, on the product being made. Typically these could include chocolate, fruit, nuts, cereals and wafers.

Milk proteins are a key ingredient of ice cream products. The protein in ice cream ensures small fat and air bubbles are produced. They give ice cream its creaminess. The protein also contributes to the flavour. Proteins in ice cream deliver about 2 to 12% of energy (average 8%) in the product.

Sugar gives ice cream a sweet taste, but that is not its most important role. The sugar controls the amount of ice formed during the freezing of the product. This ensures that the ice cream is soft enough to scoop and eat. It also gives thickness to the product and makes it stable to heat shock (being in and out of the freezer).On average ice cream contains 16 to 23 grams sugar per 100 g. This means around 11-16 grams in a typical serving. The sugar contributes up to 50% of the energy in the product.

Fat is an essential ingredient in ice cream as it provides structure, delivers flavour, boosts the creaminess and stabilises the tiny air bubbles that influence the creaminess. Either dairy fat or vegetable fat can be used in ice creams. Typically ice creams contains between 0 and 12 grams of total fat per 100 grams. Fat contributes from 0 to 45% of the total energy.

For some products, stabilisers and emulsifiers are needed. Stabilisers are added to improve texture and prevent meltdown. They are usually vegetable gums. Emulsifiers are added to improve structural properties of the ice cream: to make it thicker and more resistant to melting. Emulsifiers are usually vegetable oils or egg products.

Ice and air are fundamental to giving ice cream its structure, affecting quality and stability. The smaller the ice crystals and air bubbles, the creamier is the ice cream.
More details on composition of the various edible ices can be found in the EUROGLACES Code for Edible Ices.