Ice Cream Science

Here at Central Smith, quality is our top priority and the single most important aspect of our ice cream manufacturing process. We accomplish this in our world class manufacturing facility, with our 48-member team and the highest standards of quality assurance through rigorous testing and our BRC certification “A”. We are one of only 25,000 plants in the WORLD to have this quality rating! We are exceptional in that we offer over 260 SKUs that we produce at our facility including a variety of ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt, frozen dessert and sorbet. We source the highest quality ingredients and all of our products are Kosher. We pride ourselves in our ability to meet our customer’s unique needs (special recipes, special ingredients) and we want to be transparent about the care that goes into our manufacturing processes so our customer’s feel confident in our product. We’ve been producing ice cream for over 40 years and have become experts in the industry!

One major component of quality control is testing. We test all of our products for Coliform, and Aerobic Plate Count. Coliform is used as an indicator to assess sanitary conditions of food and water. The bacteria itself is not considered dangerous, typically it would only cause some temporary, minor and uncomfortable health issues after being consumed. Coliform is not normally the cause of a serious illness, but their presence can indicate the presence of another pathogenic organism. Our tests help us identify if and when Coliform is present in any of our products so we can take appropriate action to keep it out of our customer’s bellies. Ultimately, all of the ice cream that leaves our facility is free of Coliform.

Aerobic plate count can show any organisms present that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment. This does not test for a specific organism, but rather gives you a general idea if any other microorganism or pathogens are present. This is a great general test we do to ensure our food is free from any and all microbes.

We also test each of our mixes for percent solids and fat. The reason testing for percent solids and fat is so important is because there are specific legal requirements that go into making ice cream. We also pack our ice cream with delicious inclusions such as ripples, yummy treats and more, not to mention fat, which is delicious! But we don’t overdo it, so you can still feel somewhat “healthy” about your choice to indulge. Hah!

Percent solids is the percent left over once all the moisture has been evaporated, through the vaporization of water during the drying process. A moisture analyzer is typically used to obtain this value.

We test fat percentage daily, and one of the oldest methods used to do this is the modified Babcock test, or the Pennsylvania Fat method. We conducted a Babcock test and as you can see in the photo below, the fat separates from the mixture and floats to the top. This makes it easy to measure fat percentage using calipers to ensure legal requirements have been met. Science is so cool, right??

In order for it to be REAL ice cream, it has to consist of at least 10% fat (only 8% if cocoa or chocolate syrup is used) and must be at least 36% solids. This is a legal requirement. Otherwise it’s totally fake ice cream, and if you’re going to indulge, you better do it right! 

Below are the requirements of fat percentages in other products we offer: 

• Sherbet is 1.5-3% fat, minimum 33% solids
• Yogurt is 1.5-3% fat
• NSA (no sugar added) ice cream is made up of 6-8% fat
• Light ice cream is made up of 5-7% fat
• Ice Milk is 3-5% fat, minimum 33% solids
• Frozen dessert has a coconut oil base and is 5-7% fat. The fat content for this product is not regulated.
• Sorbets are fat and dairy free

The science behind our product’s quality control and testing is fascinating, but most would say the best part about working at an ice cream facility is the other kind of testing: taste testing! We run our products through a procedure called sensory testing, which involves the evaluation of a product to assess the overall quality and is perceived by the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. A qualified group will meet daily and pull samples from every single flavour that we produced the day before to perform these sensory tests. Some of the areas we assess include: visual appearance (packaging, colour, shape), flavour (taste, sweetness, melt-ability), texture (creamy, rich, gritty, course), and more. For example, if the product is pasteurized at a temperature that is too high, you will find there is a “cooked” flavour when sampling the product, which is something we do not want. We rarely, if ever, come across issues that impact the quality of our products, which makes the taste testing part so fun!

In closing, we make ice cream the right way here at Central Smith. We should know, we eat A LOT of it!