Advantage of ice cream

1. Source of Vitamins
Did you know that ice cream happens to be a huge source of vitamins A, B-6, B-
12, C, D, and E! It doesn’t stop there. Apparently, ice cream contains vitamin K,
which prevents blood clotting. Let’s not forget that ice cream also contains niacin,
thiamine, and riboflavin.

2. Provides Energy
Not only does ice cream have nutritional value, it also is an incredible source of
energy. As a diabetic, I understand that ice cream is rich with carbohydrates,
fats, and proteins, which are all, needed for our bodies to produce energy. Careful
on how much energy you want to get from ice cream, after all, it can also help you
gain weight. Everything in moderation remember!

3. Source of Minerals
Minerals like calcium and phosphorus are found in ice cream. Calcium is an
essential mineral for us as it maintains strong bones and reduces the chances of
kidney stones. Mood swings and PMS can also be prevented by eating ice cream.
Who knew!?!?

4. Stimulates the Brain

“Ice cream stimulates the thrombotonin, which is a hormone of happiness and helps
in reducing the levels of stress in the body. Ice cream is made of milk, which
contains L-triptophane, which is a natural tranquilizer and helps in relaxing the
nervous system. It also helps prevent symptoms of insomnia.”
Enough said!

Now, let’s get one thing straight. After listing all these fantastic health benefits of
ice cream, by no means do we suggest you eat as much ice cream as you can or,
god forbid, you binge on ice cream this weekend.
With as many benefits that may come with eating ice cream, there is probably an
equal amount of health issues that could arise from eating too much.

Choose your flavours wisely and eat responsibly. Everything in moderation

remember!

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The Disadvantages of Ice Cream

I scream, you scream we all scream for... coronary heart disease? Brian Gould,
professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Wisconsin, reports that the
average U.S. citizen consumes over 14 lb. of ice cream in 2006. It's clear that most
people enjoy the frozen treat on a regular basis. Unfortunately, like most tasty foods,
ice cream is high in some potentially harmful ingredients, particularly to the
cardiovascular system. Ice cream is a dessert best consumed in moderation if you
want to avoid screaming for an angioplasty.

(Image: Christopher Robbins/DigitalVision/Getty Images)

Fat

Like all dairy products, ice cream is high in fat. A 1/2-cup serving of a leading brand
of the most widely consumed flavor of ice cream, vanilla, contains 9 g of fat. While
fat is a nutrient and the body needs a certain amount to produce hormones, provide
energy and protect organs, too much can result in cardiovascular disease. Fat
should account for about 20 to 35 percent of your total calories. If you consume a
typical 2,000-calorie diet, you'll want to avoid consuming more than 78 g of fat each
day. One serving of vanilla ice cream contains more than 10 percent this amount.
Also consider that a 1/2-cup serving is quite small.

Saturated Fat

Saturated fatty acids are commonly found in animal products such as meat, milk,
eggs and butter. Excess consumption of saturated fat can increase your blood
cholesterol levels, causing arterial blockage and ultimately resulting in heart attacks
and strokes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises limiting saturated fat intake
to less than 10 percent of your total calories. A 1/2-cup serving of vanilla ice cream
contains 6 g, or about 28 percent of this amount, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Cholesterol

Excess consumption of foods that are high in dietary cholesterol can increase your
blood-cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease. A 1/2-cup serving of
vanilla ice cream contains 25 mg of cholesterol. The USDA recommends consuming
less than 2,300 mg of cholesterol each day to avoid increasing your blood-
cholesterol levels, and less than 1,500 mg a day if you are over 50 or have a history
of heart disease or diabetes. While a serving of vanilla ice cream does not place you
in danger of reaching the USDA's recommended limit, the Institute of Medicine does
not set recommended dietary allowances for this substance and advises limiting it as
much as possible. Your body produces about 1,000 mg of cholesterol a day on its
own.

Sugar

Sugar is an empty calorie. It contains caloric value, but contributes no other nutrients
to the diet. You can eat all the sugar you want and reach your daily caloric
requirements, but you still need to consume additional calories to meet your other
nutrient needs. Therefore, sugar can significantly contribute to weight gain and,
ultimately, cardiovascular disease. Sugar's immediate impact on blood-glucose
levels can also result in diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends men
and women limit their daily sugar intake to 150 and 100 calories, respectively, to
avoid these health setbacks. A serving of vanilla ice cream contains 40 calories from
sugar, or about 27 to 40 percent the AHA's suggested limit for men and women.

Ice Cream Sanitation And Quality Control Parameters

Quality should be the first thing you think about whenever you set out to make any
food product. Ensuring ice cream sanitation during ice cream manufacturing will
influence the quality of the end product.

Adequate sanitation programs are necessary to reduce ingredient contamination.

As such, you will need to ensure proper sanitation for ice cream during production by
using only the highest quality of ingredients and the cleanest equipment.

To achieve satisfactory levels of ice cream sanitation at the plant, implement

the following:

Ensure that all the workers are clean and healthy. They should be trained in quality
control and processing

Ensure that only the highest quality ingredients are used

Adopt proper processing techniques such as quick-freezing method to avoid ice

cream defects

Use appropriate equipment to process the ice cream

Maintain high standards of plant hygiene and sanitation

Adopt proper distribution channels that will maintain high quality of the product
The ice cream sanitation parameters that will help in maintaining high quality of the
product include:

1. Chemical and physical composition of the ice cream ingredients

Here, check the viscosity of the mix (using viscometer) and the stabilizing capacity of
the stabilizers used in the mix

2. Microbiological tests

Conduct Total Viable Count (TVC) and Total Plate Count (TPC) of the product. Also
carry out coliform (especially fecal coliform) test on the product to ensure that it is of
very high hygienic standards.

According to the provisions of the Kenya Bureau of Standards, an ice cream

should meet the following standards:

The overrun must not exceed 100%

There should be ZERO pathogens

Total plate count should have less than 105 Colony forming units (CFU) per ml

Non-fecal coliforms should be less than 102 CFU/ml

Fecal coliforms should be ZERO

3. Sensory evaluation of the ice cream

Use an ice cream score chart to conduct the sensory analysis. A typical score card
would look like this

Parameter Possible points Score

Flavor/smell 40 Assign score

Body and texture 30 Assign score

Colour, appearance & packaging 10 Assign score

Melting quality 5 Assign score

TVC/TPC 15 Assign score

Total 100 Total score (sum up)

Using the chart, award points for each category based on how you perceive the
quality to be.

This scorecard emphasizes the degree of perfection n ice cream quality and gives
the manufacturer room for improvements.

The analysis for the score awarded to the ice cream sample would be analyzed
according the category table below:

Total score (%) Rating

93-95 Excellent quality

90-92.9 Good quality

87-89.9 Fair quality

<87 Poor quality

A proper quality ice cream should provide the following nutrients:

Butterfat – 12g/100g

MSNF – 11g/100g

Stabilizer – 0.3g/100g

Proteins – 41g/100g

Carbohydrates – 20.7g/100g

Minerals (calcium 122, Phosphorus 105, Potassium 90, Sodium 60, Iron 0.1) –
0.9g/100g

Vitamin A – 492 international Units (IU)

Thiamine (vit B1) – 0.04mg

Riboflavin (vit B2) – 0.23mg

Niacin (vit B3) – 0.1mg

Vitamin C – 1.0mg
Ice cream sanitation activities at the plant

Thorough cleaning and sanitation of the ice cream plant equipment is necessary to
assure the quality of the products. It is futile to sterilize dirty equipment because it
only increases the chances of recontamination.

Conducting a thorough cleaning will not only make the equipment clean but also
provide an opportunity to inspect the facility for wear and tear.

The equipment can be scrapped using an abrasive material or a detergent under

high pressure can be used. Soap use is discouraged because it is very difficult to
completely rinse from the system. Furthermore, soap leaves a thin film on the
surface of the equipment.