Crystallization vs. Quick Freezing of Ice Cream

The crystallization process is a fundamental part of ice cream production.
If the ice cream is not frozen quickly enough, large ice crystals will form, making the ice cream texture gritty.

What are ice crystals and how to avoid them forming in ice cream?

Crystallization is the formation of an organized solid phase formed in a solution.
In the case of ice cream, this occurs during freezing.

Crystallization occurs in two simultaneous phases called nucleation and crystal growth.
When freezing occurs, the water molecules crystallize in such a way that the structure of the crystals is much more organized.
This is one of the reasons why ice has a defined shape and water does not.

Ice cream freezing speed

During the food freezing process, it is extremely important to control the formation of crystals, that is, the size of the crystal formed.

However, controlling does not mean taking longer to freeze.

In fast freezing, higher quality products are obtained, since crystals form at a faster rate, not giving them time to aggregate, resulting in small crystals that do not damage the cells and are also imperceptible to the human palate.

That is why in the manufacture of ice cream, the freezing stage is the most important for the final quality of the product.

The faster the freezing, the smaller the ice crystal and the softer the final product.

Therefore, for the manufacture of any ice cream (continuous line, artisanal or popsicle), the ice cream maker has several equipment options, such as scraped surface heat exchangers and immersion freezing, but he must be aware of the characteristics to ensure a more efficient freezing system.

Freezing Popsicles

Immersion tanks, normally used in popsicle makers, must have thermal insulation to avoid unnecessary heat exchange with the environment, and rapid agitation of the refrigerant liquid to ensure more efficient and uniform heat exchange with the molds.

Another point is that the number of molds must be compatible with the freezing capacity of the equipment, because the greater the number of molds, the slower the freezing, which in the manufacture of popsicles must be done in 20 minutes.

If you want to produce a perfect popsicle, without ice crystals, learn more about Finamac™ popsicle makers here.