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Important ideas and facts regarding various ice cream topics, drawing information directly from the YouTube video transscripts of the well-known Polar Ice Creamery channel.

All credit goes to them. All errors are mine.

This accompanies the information on the other pages here, and you can expect some duplication.

Ice Cream Sugars: A Briefing on Sucrose, Dextrose, and Erythritol

Summary of key information regarding three types of sugars used in ice cream: sucrose, dextrose, and erythritol, drawing from episodes 1, 2, and 3 of the "Sugars in Ice Cream Series."

It highlights their properties, impact on ice cream texture and sweetness, and suitability for various applications.

The Essential Role of Sugar in Ice Cream

Regardless of the type, sugar plays a critical and multifaceted role in ice cream production. It is not merely for sweetness but fundamentally affects the final product's texture and scoopability.

  • Sweetness: All sugars add the required sweetness to ice cream.
  • Freezing Point Depression (FPD): Sugar "reduces the freezing point of your mixture so that it turns into ice cream rather than ice." Without sufficient sugar, ice cream will be "solid as a rock" and "an absolute block of ice," leading to a "frozen mess that just won't taste very good." This is crucial for achieving a desirable, scoopable consistency.
  • Solids Content: Sugar contributes essential solids to the ice cream mix. Insufficient solids result in a "very watery" product with "no internal solids."
  • Flavor Impact: It's important to note that "the more sugar you add into your ice cream the less of the flavor is going to come through."

Key Acronyms: The series introduces two important acronyms for evaluating sugars:

  • POD (Perceived/Relative Sweetness): A baseline measure of sweetness.
  • PAC (Freezing Point Depression): A measure of a sugar's ability to lower the freezing point.

Sucrose (Standard Table Sugar)

Sucrose is the most common and fundamental sugar used in ice cream, serving as the benchmark for sweetness and freezing point depression.

  • Definition & Origin: Sucrose is "standard table sugar," naturally occurring in "various plants, fruits, vegetables, nuts," and commercially produced from "sugar cane and sugar beets."
  • Caloric Content: It contains "4 calories per gram."
  • Baseline for Ice Cream: In standard homemade ice cream, sucrose "can account for usually does account for 100% of the added sugar" (excluding naturally occurring lactose from dairy).
  • Historical Usage: American-style hard-churned ice cream historically contains "anywhere between 13 and 20% sugar content," while gelato has "anywhere from 15 to 23% sugar content." Sherbets and lower-fat ice creams typically have higher sugar content to compensate for a lack of other solids.
  • Troubleshooting Hardness: "If it's a little bit too hard when you take it out of freezer the most simple way to rectify that is to add a little bit more sugar." This increases freezing point depression, making the ice cream softer.
  • POD & PAC Baseline: Sucrose has a baseline POD of "100" and a PAC of "100," serving as the reference point for comparing other sugars.
  • Versatility: You can "make really really top-notch ice cream just by using sucrose; you don't need to add all the other ones."

Dextrose (Corn Sugar / Brewers Sugar)

Dextrose offers unique advantages, particularly for texture modification and sweetness control, making it a valuable addition for more advanced ice cream makers.

  • Definition & Origin: Dextrose is a "simple sugar made from corn or wheat." It's often called "corn sugar in North America" and "Brewers sugar in the UK." It is "almost identical to glucose" and is a different name for D-glucose.
  • Types: Two types exist: monohydrate (one crystallized water molecule) and anhydrous (zero crystallized water molecules).

  • Physiological Impact: Dextrose is a simple sugar that the "body can convert into energy very very quickly," making it useful in energy bars and for rapidly increasing blood sugar levels in cases of hypoglycemia.

  • Impact on Ice Cream:

    • High Freezing Point Depression (PAC): Dextrose has a "PAC of around 190," meaning "it affects the freezing point almost twice as much as sucrose." This allows for a "softer straight out the freezer and easier to scoop" ice cream.
    • Lower Sweetness (POD): Dextrose is "70 to 80% the sweetness of sucrose." This makes it ideal for reducing perceived sweetness while maintaining texture. If ice cream is "too sweet to taste, you can remove 20-25% of your sucrose and change that for dextrose and you will keep the same texture and drop the perceived sweetness level down."
    • Usage Levels: You can use "up to 50% dextrose and still keep a recipe balanced." For instance, in chocolate ice cream, which often freezes hard, increasing dextrose and reducing sucrose can make it "much softer and easier to scoop."
    • Starting Point: A good starting ratio is "75% sucrose or table sugar and 25% dextrose."

  • Substitutability: If dextrose is unavailable, "sub it straight for glucose, it's basically the same thing," whether powdered, liquid, or syrup.

Erythritol (A Sugar Alcohol)

Erythritol is presented as a sugar alcohol with potential benefits for health-conscious consumers, but significant drawbacks for ice cream applications.

  • Definition & Origin: Erythritol is a "sugar alcohol or a polyol" found in some fruits and fermented foods. Industrially, it's made by "fermenting glucose with yeast."
  • Caloric Content: It is "ultra low calorie," with "0.2 calories per gram," making it "almost a zero calorie sugar substitute."

  • Health Positives:

    • Blood Sugar/Insulin: "It doesn't raise blood sugar levels or insulin levels so it's also suitable for people that suffer with diabetes."
    • Dental Health: It "has actually been proved to counter some of the bacteria that cause tooth decay and it doesn't promote tooth decay like standard table sugar does."
    • Digestive Tolerance: It's a "relatively tolerant sugar alcohol," generally well-tolerated by those with sensitive digestive systems in normal amounts.

  • Concerns/Negatives for Ice Cream:

    • Recrystallization: The primary issue is that erythritol "recrystallizes one subjected to freezing temperatures," leading to a "very grainy unpleasant mouth fill ice cream" that is "borderline inedible" after about 30 minutes.
    • Extreme Freezing Point Depression (PAC): Erythritol has a PAC of "290 to 320," meaning it is "almost three times as strong at depressing the freezing point compared to standard table sugar." This is so powerful that "if you were to substitute erythritol for sugar in any sugar ice cream and use the same amount your ice cream will not freeze at all."
    • "Ultra Cold Effect": It creates an "Ultra cold effect once Frozen," resulting in ice cream that is "too cold" to eat comfortably.

  • Lack of Solids: Because so little can be used (maximum "1/3 the amount of product" compared to sugar), "you lose a lot of the essential solids required in an ice cream recipe," making it difficult to achieve proper mouthfeel and creaminess.

  • Safety (Current Status): As of 2024, erythritol is "considered safe across the world" by the FDA, European Food Safety Authority, and WHO. However, "recently there have been some fears that Aral May contribute to blood clots and future heart disease," and it can have "some side effects on your digestive system" in excessive amounts.
  • Recommendation for Ice Cream: The source strongly advises against using erythritol for ice cream due to its negative impact on texture and the difficulty in balancing recipes. It is suggested to "leave this for your coffee or tea or other baked goods." While influencers may use it for calorie reduction, they often "don't understand what they're doing," as it compromises the quality and longevity of the ice cream.

The Purpose and Nature of Ice Cream Stabilizers

Stabilizers are crucial for improving ice cream texture, longevity, and overall quality by controlling ice crystal formation, air bubble size, and maintaining a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.

Overview

Stabilizers are additives that significantly enhance the quality of homemade and commercial ice cream. Their primary functions include:

  • Reducing Ice Crystal Size: Preventing the formation of large, noticeable ice crystals, which can make ice cream feel "icy" or "gritty." As one source explains, "good ice cream has lots of tiny little ice crystals throughout and they're so small that your tongue can't pick them out and gives you a nice creamy texture." Stabilizers help maintain these small crystals, especially during freeze-thaw cycles that occur when ice cream is stored in a frost-free freezer.
  • Reducing Air Bubble Size: Contributing to a smoother, creamier texture by ensuring smaller, more evenly distributed air bubbles within the ice cream. This is often achieved by increasing the viscosity of the base.
  • Improving Smoothness and Creaminess: Directly enhancing the mouthfeel and overall palatability of the ice cream.
  • Slowing Melt Rate: Making the ice cream melt more slowly and evenly.
  • Controlling Free Water: Stabilizers "stabilize the free water" in the ice cream, preventing it from forming large ice crystals and contributing to an overly cold sensation.
  • Increasing Viscosity: A more viscous base can lead to smaller air bubbles and a richer mouthfeel.
  • Aiding Overrun: While home machines typically yield lower overrun, certain stabilizers can help "increase your overrun which will give you a slightly lighter ice cream."

Natural vs. "E-Numbers": There is a common misconception that stabilizers are unnatural. However, the majority of ice cream stabilizers are natural products, derived from "Beans, they come from seaweed, they come from plants, they come from fruit." The "E-number" classification (e.g., E412 for guar gum, E410 for locust bean gum) is a regulatory system for additives to allow for a concise ingredient label and database, not an indication of artificiality.

Practical Application and Considerations

  • Starting Point: For most stabilizers, begin with a small amount, typically "0.1 percent of your base mixture." Measuring light amounts requires small scales.
  • Combining Stabilizers: Many stabilizers work synergistically. For example, guar gum and locust bean gum combine effectively for both viscosity and ice crystal reduction. Pre-made "ice cream stabilizer" mixes are available (e.g., "Special Ingredients" mix containing locust bean gum, fatty acids, guar gum, sodium alginate, and agar agar).
  • Mixing Technique: Always add stabilizers to sugar first and "Stir It All really well together before adding it to your warming base or your cold base" to prevent clumping.
  • Tailoring to Recipe: The choice and amount of stabilizer should be adapted to the specific ice cream recipe. Low-fat or vegan ice creams often benefit more from gelling agents and emulsifiers due to higher free water content and different fat sources.
  • Homemade vs. Commercial: Homemade ice cream, even without stabilizers, will generally be better than store-bought options due to avoiding the "thought refreeze cycle" during transport. However, stabilizers significantly extend the "longevity of your ice cream in your freezer" and maintain texture over time.
  • Listen to Your Body: While generally safe, some individuals may experience digestive reactions to certain stabilizers. If this occurs, it's advised to try a different stabilizer.
  • Resources: Websites like Dream Scoops, Ice Cream Calc, and Underbelly offer more in-depth information on ice cream stabilizers.

Key Ice Cream Stabilizers and Their Characteristics

Guar Gum (E412)

  • Origin: A natural substance "derived from the seeds of The Gua plant which is native to India and Pakistan." The seeds are dehusked, ground into a fine powder, and the gum is extracted through milling and sieving.
  • Properties: A soluble fiber and polysaccharide (galactose and mannose). It's a "thickening agent for stabilizers and emulsification."
  • Effects in Ice Cream: "Help create a smooth creamy texture and it has an effect on reducing the Ice Crystal formation as well." It's particularly useful in low-fat or non-dairy ice creams to mimic dairy texture.
  • Viscosity: "Adds more viscosity," which leads to "smaller air bubbles during the churning process."
  • Water Absorption: Can absorb "up to eight times more water than other stabilizers such as cornstarch."
  • Heat Stability: Can withstand "80 degrees Centigrade for five minutes before it starts to break down."
  • Synergy: "Really best when used with other stabilizers," especially "locust bean gum which has a stronger effect at reducing Ice Crystal size."
  • Usage: Recommended usage is "around 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent of your total weight of the base."
  • Health Considerations: Generally considered safe, but excessive consumption "may experience some digestive issues" due to its fiber content. It also acts as a "Prebiotic and help feed those probiotic bacterias."

Locust Bean Gum (LBG / E410)

  • Origin: Also known as carob gum or carabin flour, "made from the seeds of the carob tree," common in Mediterranean regions.
  • Properties: A soluble fiber used as a thickening agent and stabilizer.
  • Effects in Ice Cream: "Has one of the best Ice Crystal reduction capabilities." It assists with "the reduction of Ice Crystal size formation," particularly beneficial for cheaper machines or when re-freezing softened ice cream.
  • Gelling: Has "poor gelling abilities," which is often desirable on its own to avoid unwanted textures.
  • Hydration: Needs to be "fully hydrated between 75 and 85 degrees C."
  • Synergy: Commonly used with "Gua gum and carrageenans." A suggested ratio when combined with guar gum is "60 percent guar gum and 40 percent locust bean gum."
  • Caution: Too much LBG on its own can lead to "weighing off," where "the liquid within your ice cream base will separate from the fats and you'll get this clear liquid in the bottom of your bowl."
  • Usage: Typical amounts are "0.1 percent up to around 0.3 percent."

Xanthan Gum (E415)

  • Origin: A polysaccharide "fermented using another carbohydrate Source either corn or soy or something like that." The fermentation process, using Xanthamonas campestris bacteria, produces a "polysaccharide capsule" that is then treated, dried, and powdered.
  • Properties: A "powerful stabilizer" and "emulsifier."
  • Effects in Ice Cream: "Helps with an increased viscosity," is "okay at dealing with ice crystals size and formulation," and "okay at reducing the air bubble size because of the viscosity increase."
  • Heat Stability: Does not need to be heated; it's best added at a "cooler stage of production." If added when hot, it can "over thicken your base and your resulting ice cream once churned and Frozen will be slightly slimy to The Taste."
  • Availability & Cost: "Readily available... cheap... in so many foods out there."
  • Usage: Start with "0.1 of your base mixture" due to its strength.
  • Health Considerations: Widely tested and "deemed safe to use." However, "some people have a reaction to xanthan gum much like they have a reaction to any other type of food or anything in life," potentially causing "bloating or IBS symptoms."

Carrageenan

  • Origin: "Derived from red seaweed which is harvested from the coast of various countries." The carrageenan is extracted using a "hot Alkali solution" at "around 100 degrees C."

  • Types:

    • Kappa Carrageenan: Forms a "strong rigid gel" used in dairy products like ice cream.
    • Iota Carrageenan: Forms a "soft flexible gel" used in jellies and puddings.
    • Lambda Carrageenan: "Doesn't form a gel and is used as a thickener and stabilizer," particularly in high-fat ice creams where gelling is not desired.

  • Gelling: Gelling is desired in "low-fat ice creams" to "mimic the mouth feel of high fat ice creams" and control free water. In "high fat or medium fat ice cream... you wouldn't want a gel to be created because you're going to get a slimy texture."

  • Synergy: Often used "alongside another stabilizer," especially "Locus bean gum combo has been used for years."
  • Usage: Start with "0.1 percent" and gradually increase.
  • Health Considerations: "Generally considered safe," though some studies suggest it "may cause inflammation in the digestive tract for some people."

Starches (Tapioca Starch & Corn Starch)

  • Tapioca Starch:

    • Origin: "Derived from the roots of the cast of a plant."
    • Properties: "No flavor and also imparts a very glossy finish." Gluten-free.
    • Gelling: "Very good at slightly lower temperatures but it does not hold up well to continual Heating."
    • Effectiveness: "Doesn't have the same efficiency as some of the some of the other stabilizers." While it will "increase viscosity," it "just doesn't do a good a job as good a job as controlling Ice Crystal formation and improving mouth feel and overrun."

  • Corn Starch:

    • Origin: "Extracted from the endosperm of corn kernels."
    • Properties: Has a "strong Flavor" that can be "powdery unpleasant." Does "not end clear, it has an opaque finish." Gluten-free.
    • Gelling: "Can take continual heating very very well."
    • General: Starches are "very popular stabilizer in Asia." They require "a lot more tapioca starch or corn starch than you would for any of the other stabilizers because that's just their process you know they need a lot more to stabilize the free water." Generally, tapioca starch is preferred over corn starch for ice cream due to flavor and clarity.

CMC (Carboxymethyl Cellulose)

  • Origin: Cellulose "extracted from a couple of organic methods or products but mainly wood." Undergoes a complex multi-stage chemical process including alkalization, etherification, neutralization, and purification.
  • Properties: "Generalized stabilizer."
  • Effects in Ice Cream: "Will hold on to that free water," "stabilize your fat and water Emulsion," "increase over runnability," and "improve mouth feel to a degree." Can aid "overrun much higher than some other stabilizers."
  • Caution: "Has got quite a strong taste" that can "impart its own flavor over the top" of light-flavored ice creams. Can make ice cream "quite fake and artificial" at high overrun.
  • Synergy: "Often used in conjunction with GMS."

GMS (Glycerol Monostearate)

  • Origin: A "synthetic compound derived from glycerol and steric acid," both of which can have natural or synthetic sources. Glycerol can come from vegetable oil or animal fats, and steric acid from cocoa butter, coconut oil, or palm oil.
  • Properties: More of an "emulsifier than a stabilizer."
  • Effects in Ice Cream: "Can stabilize your ice cream on its own just not very well," but is a "reasonably good emulsifier." Helps fats and water combine for a "much smoother base," leading to "smoother mouth feel." Increases base viscosity, which "shrinks the size of the air bubbles."
  • Synergy: Commonly used "in combination with CMC" particularly in "cheaper ice cream brands." Suggested starting ratio with CMC is "60% CMC to 30% GMS."
  • Vegan Recipes: Essential for vegan recipes to stabilize fats like coconut oil and ensure emulsification with water-based ingredients like nut milks.

Tara Gum

  • Origin: Derived from "pods much like locust bean gum" from the "Tara tree... native to Peru and other South American countries." Processed similarly to LBG.
  • Properties: Both "stabilize and has emulsifying thickening elements as well." Considered "one of the best Standalone stabilizers."
  • Effects in Ice Cream: "Increases viscosity," leading to "creaminess and mouth feel." "Prevents the separation of water and fats." "Reduces Ice Crystal or large Ice Crystal formation." "Helps with your overrun as well."
  • Availability & Cost: "Quite expensive" and "difficult to get a hold of," particularly in North America.
  • Comparison: Ranked higher than xanthan gum and guar gum as a standalone stabilizer, though personal preference for the latter two depends on heating needs (guar gum thickens faster with heat).

Other Stabilizing Agents

  • Fatty Acids (E471, Mono and Diglycerides): Primarily an emulsifier that helps "fats on your Waters combine into a much smoother base." Increases base viscosity, which helps reduce air bubble size during churning.
  • Sodium Alginate (E401): Derived from "Brown ocean kelp." Dissolves in cold water but hydrates better around 70°C. Helps keep ice crystals small and "does contribute to a better texture and body that some gums can't create."
  • Agar Agar (E406): A "natural vegetable gelatin counterpart," making it suitable for vegan recipes. A "thickening agent."
  • Gelatin: "Stabilizes the free water" and forms a gel, preventing large ice crystals and contributing to a smoother, slightly warmer mouthfeel. Can make ice cream "much colder than ice cream should be" if solids are too low.
  • Pectin: A "naturally occurring chemical in Fruit." Bonds to water and thickens, creating a gel, similar to its function in jams. However, powdered pectin can "go a bit gritty" in the freezer over time.
  • Sugar: To a degree, sugar can "stabilize a lot of the free water," similar to making a syrup. Increasing sugar content can be an approach if avoiding other stabilizers.
  • Milk Powder: "A great stabilizer." Bonds to free water and "increases solids." "Borderline essential for ice creams" to achieve adequate "milk solids non-fat (MSNF)," which impacts protein and lactose content. Crucial for dairy ice creams and a challenge for vegan recipes that need alternative solid-adding ingredients.