Aerated frozen suspension with adjusted creaminess and scoop ability based on stress-controlled generation of superfine microstructures
View Patent ↗Products that are aerated multiphase systems containing an aqueous continuous fluid phase which may include solutes thus forming an aqueous syrup and disperse phases like gas/air cells, water ice crystals and solid/semi-solid fat globules or aggregates thereof, whereas the disperse phases are that finely structured that their mean diameters are below phase specific critical maximum values and thereby generate a most preferred by consumers, full rich silky-creamy mouth feel at much lower fat content than usual in conventional related products like premium and super premium ice creams.
1. A process for the manufacture of aerated partially frozen suspensions with a continuous watery fluid phase, containing solid or semi-solid disperse phases with a superfine microstructure, which comprises applying shear rates within the range of 1 to 50 l/s or applying shear stresses within the range of 2500 to 75000 Pa to the suspension with the shear being applied while maintaining the suspension at a temperature of −10° C. to −18° C. in order to freeze more than 55% by weight of the freezable water to ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates during the application of shear.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the shear is applied in flow gaps between a moving tool and a fixed wall or in an extruder device.
3. The aerated partially frozen suspension produced by the process of claim 1 .
4. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 3 , in the form of a milk fat containing ice cream having a milk fat content of 4 to 8% by weight but a similar rich, creamy texture as that of an ice cream product having a milk fat content of 12 to 16% by weight, wherein the ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates have a mean diameter below 30 microns.
5. An aerated partially frozen suspension having a continuous watery fluid phase containing solid or semi-solid disperse phases with a superfine microstructure, comprising water ice crystals and/or agglomerates thereof, air cells, and fat globules and/or aggregates thereof, wherein the water ice crystals are formed by partially freezing the freezable water throughout the application of shear at shear rates within the range of 1 to 50 l/s or at related shear stresses within the range of 2500 to 75000 Pa at a temperature of −10° C. to −18° C. and represent more than 55% by weight of the freezable water of the suspension, and at least 50% in number of the ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates have a low degree of ice crystal interconnectivity and are present in a size range of between 5 and 30 microns to improve scoop ability and creaminess; at least 50% in number of air cells are present having a diameter range of between 2 to less than 10 microns to delay bubble coarsening by coalescence during melting when consumed so that creaminess is enhanced, and the fat globules/fat globule aggregates are present in an amount of more than 20% of volume in a size range of between 2 and 20 microns to contribute to creaminess and to increased air cell structure stability against coalescence.
6. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , wherein the fat globules/fat globule or the ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates, or both, have a mean value below 8 to 10μ.
7. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , wherein the water ice crystals represent more than 60% to as much as 80% by weight of the freezable water of the suspension.
8. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , wherein the superfine microstructure is created by partially freezing the freezable water while applying the shear in an extruder device.
9. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 8 , wherein the shear rates are within the range of 2 to 10 l/s or the shear stresses are within the range of 5000 to 15000 Pa.
10. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , wherein the ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates have a mean diameter below 30 microns so that the ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates are not interconnected with each other and do not form a three-dimensional ice crystal network.
11. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , wherein the superfine microstructure of the fat globules/fat globule aggregates consists of the fat globule aggregates and a complementary fraction consisting of primary fat globules in the size range of 0.1 to 2 microns.
12. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , in the form of a milk fat containing ice cream having a milk fat content of 4 to 8% by weight but a similar rich, creamy texture as that of an ice cream product having a milk fat content of 12 to 16% by weight.
13. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 5 , wherein the creaminess of texture is such that the loss modulus G″ is in the range of 10 5 to 5×10 6 Pa, in the state where 50 to 60% of the watery phase related to the freezable water fraction are frozen and G″ is in the range of 3×10 2 to 5×10 3 Pa in a totally melted state at temperatures of +1 to +10° C., measured in an oscillatory shear experiment at oscillation frequencies between 1 and 2 Hz at shear strain amplitudes in the linear viscoelastic range of the material where stress and strain are proportional.
14. The process of claim 5 , wherein the shear is applied in flow gaps between a moving tool and a fixed wall.
15. A process for the manufacture of aerated partially frozen suspensions with a continuous watery fluid phase, containing solid or semi-solid disperse phases with a superfine microstructure, which comprises applying a shear treatment at shear rates within the range of 1 to 50 l/s or at shear stresses within the range of 2500 to 75000 Pa while maintaining the suspension at a temperature of −10° C. to −18° C. for freezing more than 55% by weight of the freezable water to ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates during the application of shear, thus forming an aerated, partially frozen suspension having: at least 50% in number of the ice crystals or ice crystal agglomerates that have a low degree of ice crystal interconnectivity and that are present in a size range of between 5 and 30 microns to improve scoop ability and creaminess; at least 50% in number of air cells having a diameter range of between 2 to less than 10 microns to delay bubble coarsening by coalescence during melting when consumed so that creaminess is enhanced; and fat globules/fat globule aggregates in an amount of more than 20% of volume in a size range of between 2 and 20 microns to contribute to creaminess and to increased air cell structure stability against coalescence.
16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the shear treatment is applied in an extruder device.
17. The process of claim 15 , wherein the shear rates are within the range of 2 to 10 l/s or the shear stresses are within the range of 5000 to 15000 Pa.
18. The process of claim 15 , wherein the shear treatment is applied in flow gaps between a moving tool and a fixed wall.
19. The aerated partially frozen suspension produced by the process of claim 15 .
20. The aerated partially frozen suspension of claim 19 , in the form of a milk fat containing ice cream having a milk fat content of 4 to 8% by weight but a similar rich, creamy texture as that of an ice cream product having a milk fat content of 12 to 16% by weight.