Melting Characteristics of Ice Cream Prepared with Various Agitation Speeds in Batch Freezer

Ice cream consists of air bubbles, fat globules, ice crystals and unfrozen solution phase. The physical and chemical property of ice cream such as flavor or texture depends on its microstructure. Mainly, the microstructure is formed during freezing process. In this study, the effect of agitation speed during the freezing process on the melting characteristics was investigated. Samples prepared with various agitation speeds were used for melting tests. The melting rate of sample was quantified by measuring the mass that drips from the hardened ice cream through a mesh screen as a function of time. It was found that the melting rate increased with the increase in the agitation speed. This result means that the control of melting characteristics based on the agitation speed is possible. In addition, the increase in the amount of air cells and the size of fat globule aggregates led to the increase in the melting rate. In order to completely understand the thermal property of ice cream, the complex interaction between air cells and fat globules including ice crystal should be investigated