How ice cream is made

By Ian Farrell2021-05-24T11:56:00

A photo of a melting ice cream cone with raspberry sauce and a flake

Source: © Melanie Hobson/EyeEm/Getty Images

For a simple combination of milk, cream, sugar and flavourings, there is a lot of science involved in ice cream manufacture

Ice cream has been with us for centuries and its main ingredients are simple: milk, cream and sugar. But the secret to great ice cream lies in how the mixture is mixed, how quickly it’s frozen and some key extra ingredients that change things like viscosity and freezing point. Find out the chemisty involved in the choice of emulsifier, perfecting freezing points and ice crystal size.

This article is accompanied by free downloadable resources: data analyasis and graphing activities suitable for the 14–16 age group

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