Sweet Science of Ice Cream Inclusions

By Cindy Hazen, Contributing Editor

Ice cream punctuates a day with pleasure. Just as the comma gives meaning to a well-crafted sentence, inclusions accent this creamy dessert with crunch, color and texture, transforming it from a simple delight to pure manna.

Pursuit of chocolate

If chocolate is the food of the gods, cocoa-based inclusions are bound to glorify simple ice creams. Yet, theres more to the process than stirring in chips.

The size of the chocolate piece and the melt point should be considered to maximize flavor delivery. Typically, chocolate-based inclusions are chocolate-flavored confectionery products formulated to have a lower melt point than real chocolate. Manufacturers will generally use a chocolate-flavored liquid, flake or chip product to create chocolate-flavored chips in ice cream," says Tom Jablonowski, product service and development manager, ADM Cocoa, Milwaukee. Chocolate-flavored chips are formulated with a lower-melting fat, like coconut oil, as a carrier for the chocolate flavors."

Compound coating-based inclusions can have their melting point and flavor profile dialed in for optimal functionality. For instance, a compound coating chocolate flake can be formulated to melt at 80° F versus a standard chocolate flake that has a set melt point around 88° F," says Dennis Reid, vice president marketing & business development, Sensory Effects Flavor Systems, Bridgeton, MO. This provides superior melt properties and better flavor release in frozen dessert products. These also offer more formula and processing tolerance, as well as economic advantages."

Sometimes, real chocolate chips can be used, but they should be small in size. Generally, about 10,000 count per pound would be the recommended size of the chip for this type of an application," says Jablonowski. The small size is important because it helps the chocolate to melt quickly when consumed in a frozen ice cream treat. Very small chunks instead of chips can also be used. Due to the small size of the inclusions, a strong chocolate flavor is desirable in order to provide a flavor impact."

Syrups and variegates (swirls) are also commonly used to create a chocolate "wow" factor. The syrups and variegates are usually made with a very low melt point (semi-liquid at room temperature) and can be added into the ice cream with a fruit feeder. These types of inclusions are usually formulated with minimal ingredients, utilizing cocoa, sugar, fat, and flavor for maximum visual impact," Jablonowski says.

Dark chocolate is the most common color of chips, flakes or syrup variegates, because the appearance of dark chocolate provides a visible contrast to the typical white or even chocolate ice cream," Jablonowski says. Other characteristics relate to flavor impact and appearance. For example, does the developer require a milder chocolate flavor with natural cocoa, or is an alkalized cocoa powder acceptable, which provides a darker appearance and fudgelike flavor?"

Jablonowski says natural products are still popular. In addition, we see a trend toward high cacao content and a minimal number of ingredients. A dark-chocolate flavor profile is the most common request," he says. However, cost management is still a big piece of the development process.

Bakery-based inclusions

Cookie dough, crushed Oreo-style cookies and brownie bits have become ubiquitious ice-cream add-ins. But, let your imagination wander beyond these standards. We can create any variety of baked inclusion for an ice cream product," says Todd Wallin, president, Ellison Bakery, Fort Wayne, IN. There are formed pieces, broken pieces, candy-coated pieces, oil-coated pieces, colored pieces, flavored pieces or whole cookies that can be applied to ice cream in some form or fashion."

The important point to remember when sourcing these or any type of inclusion is to be clear about what the ingredient will deliver to the ice cream. Communicate to the supplier the desired effect you want the inclusion piece to have in the finished product. 

As a supplier, the more information we have about how they want the inclusion to perform in their finished product allows us to apply all of our expertise to the project in order to deliver great results quickly," Wallin says.

When creating baked goods for use in ice cream, its essential to know if the customer wants color bleeding or no color bleed, quick hydration or little hydration. Its also important to know how the inclusion will be applied and if there are any equipment or ingredient limitations. All of these items can be addressed in the creation process of an inclusion product," Wallin says. 

Kenny Haller, executive vice president sales, Denali Ingredients, New Berlin, WI, finds that each customer has specific needs. In addition to understanding their own variables, such as fat, sweetener, color and preservative restrictions, developers should be aware of lead times, batch minimums and other details that significantly impact their own production," he says.

For example, package size can be an issue. Bulk containers or 1 ½-quart containers, can handle much larger inclusions than a pint or novelty item.

Small details, such as the maximum size of the developers processing filling equipment, will determine how large we produce the inclusion," Haller says. In addition, the developers storage capacity and inclusion equipment capabilities allow us to produce an optimal product for production."

Denali sees ice cream developers mimic popular desserts, culinary menu offerings and nostalgic sweets.  We see our customers really focusing on items such as red velvet cake and cupcake-type flavors," he says. "This past year, we saw an uptick in production in both these categories. Weve recently introduced concepts like a miniature chocolate éclair, and inclusions such as carrot-cake bites. Weve also seen a lot of interest in more established flavors like cinnamon-bun bites.  In terms of nostalgia, our funnel-cake bites have gone over very well."

Adding excitement

The ice cream-inclusion trends are continuing from last year and, according to Reid, havent changed much: health and wellness, natural and simplistic products, gourmet and indulgent formulations, and nostalgic and comforting recipes. You tend to see the really trendy things hit the foodservice sector first because there is lower entry cost and less risk with new-product introductions. The flavor trends that we see growing cover a wide span but include things like sweet and salty (salted caramels), warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), superfruits and berries (pomegranates, acai, blueberries, etc.), tropicals (coconut, mango, pineapple, etc.), and homegrown flavor combinations like smores, peanut butter and jelly, and pina colada.  Another continuing trend is for 'dessert classics' turned frozen treats like red-velvet cake, bananas foster and crème brûlée."

Choice of variegates, inclusions and the flavor base allow for the creation of endless flavor possibilities, whether trendy or old-style, but the formula considerations are driven by the processing equipment and handling capabilities of a particular plant.

 For example, if a plant does not have tempering capabilities and line tracing, then they cannot use the fat-based 'textured' variegates because they will set-up (freeze) in their lines," says Reid. Also, depending upon the size of their injector nozzles, this will have an impact on the size of the particulates that can be used in the variegate. Even the mixing tanks and pumps used can alter the type of variegates that can be handled, and the viscosity might have to be altered accordingly."

Special equipment is also required to deliver flavor via a liquid chip. This is a compound coating that is added to a frozen dessert mix via a variegator nozzle and, when it hits the ice cream mix, the fat sets and splinters little mini chips into the finished ice cream," Reid explains. "This product requires proper tempering and handling capabilities that not everyone has, but it results in a very different texture and appearance than simply adding flakes or chips. Once again, the sky is the limit for flavor availability; we presently have around 15 different coating flavors, including some unique profiles like cotton candy, bubble gum and even a cake batter with confetti glitter in it."

Of course, some of the easiest and still popular inclusions are nuts. Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios and almonds offer unique flavors and crunch. Piece size is a key consideration. Does the finished product concept and cost warrant use of more-expensive whole nuts or more-economical broken pieces?

When formulating with nuts, consider their susceptibility to lipid oxidation. The higher their polyunsaturated fat content, the more quickly they react to air. Walnuts, for example, are more vulnerable than almonds. Film-coating nuts with a hydrocolloid such as gum acacia can offer some oxidation protection to nuts used as inclusions.

In fact, the type of fat should be considered when selecting any inclusions, from cookies to nuts. From a preproduction standpoint," says Haller. "Questions that need answering include: Are there any fat restrictions, such as partially hydrogenated, trans fat or cholesterol? In addition, are there sweetener restrictions, such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners? Are there preservative restrictions?" 

Dont forget allergens. Milk, the base ingredient in ice cream, must be labeled. However, other allergens may enter the product by way of inclusions. Bringing nuts into the manufacturing facility will require development of an allergen policy. Wheat and or eggs may be present in baked inclusions. Be sure that finished-product labels flag these allergens and the ingredient statements accurately reflect all of the ingredients present in the ice cream. Also, be certain that product claims such as gluten-free are accurate.

Formulating inclusions is relatively complex. In contrast, the process of adding inclusions to ice cream is really not all that complicated, according to Bruce Tharp, technical consultant to the ice cream industry, worldwide, Tharp's Food Technology, Wayne, PA. Theres not usually any change in formula made. Most companies have a white mix at a certain fat level. From that theyll make all kinds of flavors with inclusions and without."

Sometimes, a manufacturer will incorporate a higher level of overrun in the ice cream to compensate for the higher density of fruits and other inclusions injected into it. The standard of identity of ice cream requires a minimum weight per gallon of 4.5 lbs (Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 135, Section 110). If youre putting something in there that weighs 10 or 11 lbs. per gallon, then its possible to have the ice cream have more air incorporated into it and still have the minimum required weight. Thats something thats done, particularly these days when things are so tight from the standpoint of cost," he says.

A large company with the capability and the volume to warrant it might make a special mix for a product that has a relatively high level of inclusions to compensate for the dilution of the basic mix itself. Putting high levels of strawberries in the ice cream before its frozen might have a negative effect on the freezing point, so they might compensate for that by making a special mix," Tharp says. In general, if a fruit purée or fruit preparation is added to the product before its frozen, then if its at a relatively high quantity, that additional sugar is going to make a significant depression in the freezing point. The ice cream is going to be softer. Theres going to be less water frozen in the freezer, and thats a negative. Theyll compensate for that by making a higher freezing point in the mix."

Beyond that, they pretty much take the regular ice cream and whatever inclusions they are going to add and sometimes freeze it a little colder, but not necessarily," Tharp says.

Cindy Hazen, a 20-year veteran of the food industry, is a freelance writer based in Memphis, TN. She can be reached at [email protected].

The Fab Five

Based on ice cream consumption figures, the top five individual flavors in terms of share of segment in the United States are: vanilla (27.8%), chocolate (14.3%), strawberry (3.3%), chocolate chip (3.3%) and butter pecan (2.8%).

Source: The NPD Group's National Eating Trends In-Home Database