Ice cream is the most widely consumed frozen desserts. According to the IDFA (International Dairy Foods Association), the ice cream has been known around the 2nd century BC, though the original inventor is not certainty recorded. In the days of the Roman Empire, the Emperor Nero (54-86 BC) also frequently sent runners into the snow mountains to take snow and topped with fruit and juice to be enjoyed. Alexander the Great also known to love the snow and ice that topped with honey and nectar. More than a thousand years later, Marco Polo returned to Italy from the Far East with a recipe that is similar to what is now called sherbet. Historians estimate that this recipe evolved into ice cream in the 16th century. Britain seems to have found an ice cream at the same time, or even earlier than the Italian. “Cream Ice”, as it was called at the time, appeared regularly on the desk of Charles I in the 17th century. This frozen food is then introduced in France by Catherine de Medici of Italy when she became the wife of Henry II of France. Until 1660, the ice cream is not yet available to the general public. Procopio from Sicily who first introduced the recipe ice cream by mixing milk, cream, butter and eggs in the Café Procope which is the first cafe in Paris.
According to Goff and Hartel (2013), the ice cream is comprised of a mixture of air, water, fat (milk or non – dairy), milk solids non-fat (as a primary source of protein), sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, water and flavor. Below is the function & limitation of the materials commonly used for ice cream:
| Ingredients | Function | Limitation |
| Milk fat | Increase richness of flavor & mouthfeel | Relatively high cost & smoothness of texture, hinders whipping, may limit consumption due to high calorie & satiating effect |
| Non-dairy fats | Provide good structure & texture with lower cost than milk fat if appropriate solid fat content | Contribute little to the taste and can cause off flavors and greasy textures |
| Milk solids non fat/ whey protein concentrate (MSNF/WPC) | Improving body and texture ( proteins ) through the emulsification and WHC (water holding capacity) , related to the overrun | Excessive usage can cause a sense cooked or salty flavor, increasing the risk of sandiness |
| Whey solids | Lower price than WPC with the same function | Containing more lactose, lowering the freezing point so that it has a greater potential to cause sandiness than WPC |
| Sugar | Gives a sweet taste in ice cream, lowering the freezing point, increase flavor and texture | Excessive usage can make the ice cream becomes too sweet, requires a lower hardening temperature, ice cream becomes too soft, and increase the risk of the formation of ice crystals |
| Corn syrup solids | Sweeteners that are cheaper than sugar, improve the shape and texture, increase the stability of ice cream. | Excessive usage can produce off flavors and overly chewy |
| Stabilizer | Enhance the smoothness of texture , gives body and extend the shelf life of ice cream | Can cause excess chewiness and increases the melt resistance |
| Egg yolk solids | Increase whipping ability and impart custard flavor | Foamy melted products, egg flavor might not be preferred |
| Emulsifier | Forming an emulsion of fat, smooth texture of ice cream and produce the desired melting properties | Increase the potential of churning fat |
| Total solids | Refine texture, firmer body, improve nutrient content, lessen excess coldness | Heavy, soggy or sticky body, decrease coldness |
| Flavoring | Increases acceptability | Excessive usage may be unacceptable |
| Coloring | Increase attractiveness and assist flavor identification | Some people allergic to certain coloring & some others may dislike the additional artificial color |
Dairy Ice Cream
In the manufacture of ice cream, all the water should be bound to solids in order to avoid the formation of ice crystals in ice cream emulsion that can cause an undesirable sandiness. The emulsion formation perfection greatly affect the texture and melting properties of ice cream produced. The more perfect the more gentle emulsion texture. Melting time (the time required to melt ice cream perfectly at room temperature) for a good ice cream is about 10-15 minutes (Arbuckle and Marshall, 1996). Quality of ice cream is usually measured by the percentage of overrun, which is the % increase in volume of ice cream greater than the amount of mix used to produce that ice cream. The more premium quality ice cream, the lower the % overrun it.
Here is an example of the dairy ice cream recipe:
| Ingredients :- 500 ml fresh milk
– 250 ml whipped cream – 200 ml sweetened condensed milk – 150 g sugar – 5 egg yolk – 1 teaspoon salt – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
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How to make:
1. Cook the fresh milk, whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, and sugar over medium heat until boiling.
2. Beat the egg yolks until smooth, put the hot milk into the beaten eggs while continuing to be shaken. Enter the vanilla and salt, once blended, refrigerate until cool completely and pour in a bowl, freeze in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
3. After the partially frozen, remove from freezer and whisk with a mixer until smooth, then reinsert it in the freezer until completely frozen. Make the process of whisking and freezing up to 2-3 times.
4. The milk-based ice cream is ready to be served (for 12 servings). Other complementary ingredients such as strawberry, chocolate chips, durian, avocado and others may be added according to your preference.
Nutritional content per serving (without additional topping):
– Energy = 222 kcal
– Protein = 4.7 g
– Fat = 11.2 g
– Cholesterol = 122 mg
– Carbohydrates = 27.3 g
– Sugar = 26.3 g
Non Dairy Ice Cream
For non dairy ice cream, milk base can be replaced by various other base, such as coconut milk, hunkwe flour (green beans white flour when cooked has fragrant aroma, translucent color and chewy texture), wheat flour, tapioca flour, almond milk, soy milk and sometimes rice milk. However, the most common materials used as a substitute for milk is coconut milk because of its soft texture and taste is considered the closest to milk fat .
Here is the example of homemade non dairy ice cream recipe using coconut milk as the base:
| Ingredients :
– 800 ml coconut milk – 100 g sugar – ¼ teaspoon salt – 2 tablespoon cornstarch – 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract |
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How to make:
1. Cook the coconut milk, sugar and salt over low heat to medium, stirring constantly until late about 1-2 minutes.
2. Take about 50 ml coconut milk and corn starch dissolved into it. Once dissolved, mix in all the ingredients earlier.
3. Stir until the solution is thickened. Take care not to boil the coconut milk to prevent it from break.
4. After curdling, the coconut milk solution was ready to serve as the ice cream base. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, chill.
5. After a fairly cool, transfer to a container, seal the plastic and put in the refrigerator (refrigerator) at a temperature of 40C for at least 4 hours (a base of coconut milk ice cream can last up to 3 days in the refrigerator).
6. After cooling down for at least 4 hours, take out of the refrigerator. Enter the base that has been cold and already resembles the texture of the custard into an ice cream maker or beat with a mixer. If you want to add other toppings such as fruit, chocolate and so on can be carried out during the shuffle.
7. If the texture is in accordance with the desired, put into containers and store in freezer for at least 4 hours.
8. Coconut milk-based ice cream is ready to be served (for 8 servings).
Nutritional content per serving (without additional topping):
– Energy = 290 kcal
– Protein = 2.3 g
– Fat = 20.1 g
– Cholesterol = 0 mg
– Carbohydrates = 27.3 g
– Sugar = 16 g
Which one is better between dairy vs. non-dairy ice cream ice cream?
The answer depends on various factors. First, it depends on the ice cream formula, because there are so many alternative materials that can be used to make ice cream, both dairy ice cream and non-dairy ice cream. In terms of taste, of course dairy ice cream generally has a delicious taste that is so much more preferable. In terms of nutrition, dairy ice cream generally contains higher nutrient content (especially protein) because as we all know, milk is a source of food that is rich in nutrients. Dairy ice cream can be an alternative delicious & nutritious snack for kids. If you do not have health problems, dietary restrictions or allergies to milk, milk-based ice cream remains the main option. But for those who have problems such as lactose intolerance or allergic to milk proteins, non-dairy ice cream could be an alternative if you still want to enjoy an ice cream. Non-dairy ice cream is also popular among Vegan (Vegetarians who do not consume animal products including milk and eggs). For people who have high blood cholesterol levels and should avoid foods high in cholesterol such as milk and eggs, non-dairy ice cream can be a safe choice because it does not contain cholesterol. In terms of price, generally non-dairy ice cream are also more affordable.
References:
Arbuckle, W.S. dan R. R. Marshall. 1996. Ice Cream. Chapman and Hill Publisher, New York.
Goff, H. D. Dairy Science and Technology Education Series. University of Guelph. https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/ Retrieved 26 June 2015.
Goff, H D. dan Hartel, R. W. 2013. Ice Cream. 7th edition. Springer Science+Business Media, New York.
International Dairy Foods Association. Official website http://www.idfa.org/ Retrieved 26 June 2015.
Zulkarnain, M. R. 2015. Dairy vs Non Dairy ice cream. Food for Kids Indonesia, September 2015 edition (p.28-36).