Stabilisers and neutro for ice cream
Thickeners and emulsifiers make up the so-called stabilisers or neutro for both ice cream and sorbets. The main difference is in their composition:
- stabilisers for sorbets:
- consist primarily of thickeners (flour of locust bean gum, guar and often alginates as well)
- dosage is 3 g per litre of mixture
- stabilisers for ice cream:
- consist of both thickeners (flour of locust bean gum, guar gum alginates) and emulsifiers (sucrose esters and mono- or di-glycerides)
- dosage is 5 g per litre of mixture
In the market, a variety of stabilisers for creams and fruit is available. It is recommended to ask the vendor for a technical sheet with their precise composition.
The basic “semi-finished product in powder”
Specialised suppliers of ice cream ingredients also offer semi-compounds, called bases (in various weights of use). These are ideal when the ice creammaker prefers to use minimal quantities of stabilisers.They exist in various densities (from 30 g to 400 g per litre of mixture).The ones most widely used are the Base 50 or 100 g – mainly composed ofthickeners, emulsifiers, milk powder, sugar, flavouring and milk proteins.
Note: Ask your vendor or supplier for the technical sheet that comes with yourstabiliser. It will help you get your recipe breakdown just right.
Some tips that will definitely come in handy:
- Always mix one part stabiliser with ten parts sugar before adding them toyour ice cream mixture. This way you’ll avoid lumps in the mixture and thestabiliser will disperse more easily through it.
- Always mix in your stabilisers at a temperature of 40°C. At that temperature,stabilisers become most active: they’ll absorb more and display betterswelling characteristics.
- And they exist in specific varieties for fruit bases or cream bases.They’re made for hot and cold applications, with various formulations and compositions, which allow different dosages. The final goal is to obtaina balanced mixture and a perfect texture for your ice cream or sorbet.
