The USDA has specific rules that define what can and can't be labeled "ice cream." To bear the "Meets USDA Ingredient Standard for Ice Cream" stamp, it must contain at least 10 percent milk fat, a minimum of six percent non-fat milk solids, and a gallon has to weigh at least 4.5 pounds.
Along with the milk fat (butter fat), cream and delightful flavors, ice cream also contains stabilizers and emulsifiers. Stabilizers help hold the air bubble structure together and give the ice cream a better texture. Emulsifiers keep the ice cream smooth and aid the distribution of the fat molecules throughout the colloid.
"The key to producing a favorable ice cream lies within texture and ice crystal size," says Janae Kuc, senior research and development scientist at Gum Technology Corp. (www.gumtech.com), Tucson, Ariz. "Consumers do not want to dig their spoons into a block of ice. A good ice cream will have a decent amount of overrun [incorporated air], small ice crystal structure and a creamy smooth texture. Gums are a major player in achieving these attributes and maintaining them over time."
"It's very difficult in this day and age when you have mass shipping and changing temperature conditions to not give the ice crystals [in ice cream] a bit of help," says Maureen Akins, applications manager at TIC Gums (www.ticgums.com), White Marsh, Md. "If you stabilize ice cream correctly, you won't end up with frost on top, which can occur in ice cream formulations containing a minimal amount of stabilizers.