Ice Cream




Ice cream has become very popular in the last century, with its consumption strongly increasing on a continuous basis over the past few years. MachinePoint Food Technologies supplies ice cream making equipment and turnkey plants for the making of ice cream: stick ice cream, ice cream in cups, sandwich ice cream, ice cream cake, ice cream terrines.

The process of making ice cream starts with the selection of the raw material that will compose the ice cream. A lot of ice creams use milk and fruit derivatives. Others just water with concentrated flavor, chocolate, etc. Depending on the raw materials used, they will have to be stored and treated accordingly.

All ingredients are mixed following the ice cream recipe. Mixing can be done in small batch mixing units or in a complex continuous process depending on the quantity that wants to be produced, and the characteristics of the ice cream to be obtained, as the mixing process can affect the type of ice cream obtained.

If batch mixing is used, pasteurization, homogenization and cooling normally follow.
If a continuous mixing process is used, the mixing, pasteurizing, homogenizing and cooling are done in the same system using tubular heat exchangers.
Sometimes the ingredients have been previously pasteurized, in which case no pasteurization of the mix will be required.

The homogenizer used for ice making has the objective of producing a smoother cream that will also resist further to melting. A two stage homogenizer can be used.

This mix is then left to rest in tanks at a low temperature for a few hours. This is called the ageing process; necessary to obtain a mix with more body and texture.
After the aging process some other ingredients such as flavors and colors can be added.

The new mix then enters into the freezing process, which yet again can either be a batch or continuous freezing process. At the end of the freezing process, half of the water contained in the ice mix is frozen. Air is also incorporated into the mix, giving it that very particular lightness that ice cream has compared to other frozen products.

Other ingredients such as fruits, nuts, biscuits or chocolate can be added to the frozen mix.
If we are manufacturing soft ice cream for cone use, then the mix is ready to be packed from here on.
For those ice creams that need a harder ice cream mix, the hardening process will follow, where the ice cream goes into a freezer at very low temperatures so that the rest of the ice cream water is frozen.
Under 25C, ice can be stored for long periods, above this temperature, crystallization occurs and therefore the shelf life of the ice is decreased.

The so called ice cream novelties, or impulse ice cream, follow a different packaging process. These are single ice creams with particular shapes, colors and flavors that come with a stick and are packaged individually to be sold by vendors for mass consumption.

The soft ice mix is filled into moulds which are chilled to harden the mix. The stick is added before finishing of the hardening process. Then the hardening process is completed and the ice cream removed from the mould by the stick. Nuts, chocolate or other additives can be used to coat the ice cream. Then the ice cream is packed and stored.
The moulds have to be professionally cleaned for each new use.

Ice cream with no sticks, like bars, stick, sandwiches, etc are frozen by extrusion. Following a different process to the ones that can be pulled out by a stick.

Typical equipment in an ice cream plant is:
  • Mixing units
  • Storage units
  • Homogenizer
  • Extrusion ice cream machines
  • Moulding ice cream machines
  • Filling ice cream machine
  • Hardening ice cream machines
  • Ice cream packaging machines
  • Hardening ice cream machines
  • Ice cream freezing machines
  • Choko bar hardner
  • Chocolate pot
  • Ice cream churner
  • Ice cream ageing machine
  • Brine tank
  • Surface cooler
  • Filling and Packaging line

Aseptic technologies

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Storage tanks

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Mixing Equipment

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Heat exchangers

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Freezing

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Product Recovery Systems

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