The Apparent Viscosity of Ice Cream: I. The Sagging Beam Method of Measurement. II. Factors to be Controlled. III. The Effects of Milkfat, Gelatin and Homogenization Temperature

Abstract

Summary It has been shown that the sagging beam method of viscosity measurement can be used to determine the rheological properties of ice cream, and that ice cream may for all practical purposes be considered a viscous material. A detailed study has been made of those factors of normal manufacture, such as overrun, temperature of drawing, etc., which would affect the viscosity of ice cream, so that a standard procedure could be developed for determining ice cream viscosity. The effect of milkfat concentration and gelatin concentration upon the viscosity and quality of ice cream has been studied. It is shown that they in some way act to produce the same general effect upon the viscosity of ice cream. Increasing temperature of homogenization tends to reduce the quantity of either material necessary to produce the same general effect. While it is evident that the absolute viscosity value of an ice cream is not a direct measure of quality, it is shown that, in a series of ice creams in which one factor is varied, viscosity is an indication of changes in quality and of the physical action of that factor in ice cream.