As a specialist in soft-serve ice cream production, FFCE offers a comprehensive range of ice consulting services for this much-loved dessert characterized by its light and velvety texture of the product. Soft serve has to be made and served with certain tools and equipment to reach its’ aim of being a light creamy texture. It means our responsibility is to make your soft serve delicious and fulfilling for the consumers.
We shall begin with the pre-production segment which encompasses sensory assessment and recipe development, accurate project conception, licensing, permit support, documentation development, and organization as well as market analysis. Next, they concentrate on the production part consisting of the following; the strict adoption of the latest technologies in sensitive processes such as mixing, freezing, and dispensing. Optimal dispersion and integration are vital in making a uniform foundation for the formula. Which is then gently frozen to achieve only the right level of incorporation of air, which defines soft serve ice cream. Then you have to manage the post-production segment which consists of packaging, third-party manufacturing, legal consultation if necessary and concentrate on marketing of the product if necessary.
What is soft serve ice cream?
Before we know what Soft Serve Processing is, let us understand what Soft Serve is. Soft-serve ice cream is prepared from milk, sugar, and flavors well blended in a liquid mixture. This mixture is then heat treated to make it safe and standard. After pasteurization, the mix is homogenized to reduce the size of fat particles to enable it to have a creamy appearance.
The mix is then dispensed through a specialized soft serve machine and the product is further churned in the machine and then frozen at some temperature above that of the traditional ice cream which allows far more incorporation of air. This leads to the main characteristic for which soft serve is famous for, the softness of the ice cream. The final product is all ready to be consumed and is dispensed in cones or cups right from the machine. Indeed, freezing control is a critical factor to ensuring that consumers get their favorite soft, light and fluffy soft serve ice cream.
The main equipment in soft serve ice cream production The main types of machinery that are used in the soft serve ice cream production are the mixing tanks, Homogenizers and a pasteurizer. Stabilizers are produced by aging tanks that cool and store the selected mix while mixing the selected mix and freezing it are done in a soft serve freezer machine which freezes and churns the mix as the air supplied by an air compressor is added to it to make it lighter and creamier. The dispensing unit then drops the soft-serve directly to cones or cups and cleaning and sanitizing make sure the equipments are clean throughout the process.
Types of Soft Serve Ice Creams
- Soft-serve ice creams can be made of different types of soft ice cream mixes to cater to customer’s taste buds. Here are some common types:
- Classic Flavors: Plain, chocolate flavouring and a mixture of vanilla and chocolate.
- Fruit Flavors: Low sugar carbonate, fruit crushed strawberry, mango, blueberry, and some other fruits flavored juices.
- Specialty Flavors: Originally, the available flavors were coffee, matcha or a seasonal flavor.
- Dairy-Free Alternatives: Subsidiary choices using plant-based milks including almond, soy or coconut.
Production Process of Soft Serve Ice Cream
Making of soft-serve ice cream tends to take several steps in order to come up with the final ice cream which should be smooth, creamy and tasty. Here’s a detailed overview of the process:
Ingredient Selection
- Milk and Cream: To make the food taste creamy, utilize high fat content milk and cream. Fat level may go as low as 3% to as high as 6%.
- Sweeteners: Choose between granulated sugar, corn syrup or any other sweetener depending on the taste and texture required.
- Stabilizers and Emulsifiers: Add ingredients that give better textures and prevents the formation of ice crystals such as stabilizers: guar gum or xanthan gum and emulsifiers such as lecithin.
- Flavorings: Complement natural and/or artificial flavours to build up an array of profiles.
- Water: Distilled water is then employed in altering texture to suit the overall mixture and other commixed substances.
Mixing and Pasteurization
- Objective: Make a uniform blend and, in the process, avoid the following dangers.
- Process:
- Mixing: Mix milk, cream, sugar substitutes, thickening agents to thicken, agents that help maintain the consistency and keep it from separating, and natural and artificial flavors to desired ratios. Stir well to obtain a uniform one-phase system.
- Pasteurization: Warm the mix to the general temperature of 85°C for half an hour or to 90°C to 10 minutes to eliminate hazardous microbes. After preparation quickly cool the mix to 4°C (39°F).
Freezing and Aeration
In order to obtain the specific and sufficient stiff and sponge-like characteristic that is typical of most semi-frozen dessert products, the appropriate degree of aeration should be produced.
- Freezing: Take the pasteurized mix, then pour it into a soft serve dispenser. Prepare the mix by making it ‘stick to the sides’, and before it starts setting add air to the mix or overrun; it ought to be smooth. The freezing temperature is set slightly between -6°C to -8°C (21°F to 18°F).
- Aeration: Air is introduced to the mix during freezing which causes depending on the freezing apparatus used a light texture to be achieved.
- Dispensing and Storage
- Objective: According to the three points highlighted above, ensure the ice cream is at the right texture for serving and keep the product fresh.
- Process:
- Dispensing: You can take the soft serve directly, out of the machine and put it in cones or cups. The texture of this product is creamy and you are able to consume it immediately after preparation.
- Storage: Any soft serve ice cream left in the machine is put at a temperature not exceeding -18°C (0°F) in order to prevent it from melting.
Packaging and Labeling
- Objective: Preserve the product; disseminate information to the consumer.
- Process:
- Packaging: When packing lots and lots of food to be transported, do it in plastic or glass containers that are food-grade. That is why for single-serving portions you should use paper cups or cones. Definitely, packaging should be very strong to avoid cases of contamination and formation of freezer burn.
- Labeling: They should provide nutrient information, food lists and the date of production or expiration date. They need to be tough, water-resistant; text and graphics all the pertinent information on the label must appear legibly.
Packaging solutions for Soft Serve Ice Creams
Convection is very important when it comes to the protection of food, the softness of the ice cream as well as the general appearance of the soft-serve ice creams. Picking of right packaging material is very crucial in guaranteeing the safety and ease of the product as well as the satisfaction of the end user. Here are the key types of packaging materials used:
Bottles and Jars
- Objective: Offer your consumers long-lasting and recyclable packaging products that will ensure the products inside are fresh.
- Materials:
- Glass: Gives very good barrier against outside intruders and preserves the natural taste of the ice cream. Recyclable and eco-friendly.
- PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): Inexpensive, thin, option for resistance to impact, and relatively good barrier properties. Can be recycled and some varieties come with tamper-evident seals.
Pouches
- Objective: Suggest a lighter, easily collapsible and easily portable and convenient packaging solution.
- Materials:
- Multi-layer Laminated Films: Need to give good resistance to light, air, as well as moisture. Both, spouts make it easier to pour and then close the cartage in order to have it opened again later.
- Stand-up Pouches: Suits powdered soft serve mixes, for reasons of rigidity and fewness of packaging materials.
Cans
- Objective: Packaging: Offer an innovative, easy-to-chill single-serving size pack.
- Materials:
- Aluminum Cans: High clarity, low density, fast cycle time, excellent barrier properties. Very suitable for recycling with a protective lining to avoid any contact with the metal in question.