Soft serve

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Soft serve is a type of ice cream that is softer than typical ice cream.

1 Overview
2 Pre-mix
3 Soft serve companies
4 See also

[edit] Overview

Soft serve is a frozen dessert that is dispensed from a machine instead of served by hand.

It is generally lower in milk-fat (3% to 6%) than ice cream (10% to 18%) and is produced at a temperature of about -4 °C compared to ice cream, which is stored at -15C. A warmer temperature allows the taste buds to detect more flavour. Soft serve contains air introduced at the time of freezing. The air content can vary from 0% to up to 60% of the total volume of finished product. The amount of air alters the taste of the finished product. Product with low quantities of air has a heavy, icy taste and appears more yellow. Product with higher air content tastes creamier, smoother and lighter and appears more white. The optimum quantity of air is determined by the other ingredients and individual taste. It is generally accepted that the ideal air content should be between 33% and 45% of volume. More than this and the product loses taste and melts quicker than that with less air.

The right combination of air and temperature is as important to the taste of the finished product as the other ingredients.

All ice cream including soft serve must be frozen quickly to avoid crystallization. With soft serve, this is accomplished by a special machine at the point of sale. Pre-mixed product is introduced to the storage chamber of the machine where it is kept at +3C. When product is drawn from the draw valve, fresh mix is introduced to the freezing chamber either by gravity or pump. It is then churned and quick frozen and stored until required.

[edit] Pre-mix

Pre-mix can be obtained in several forms:

Fresh liquid that requires constant refrigeration until needed. It can be stored for 5 to 7 days before spoiling by bacterial contamination. Quality can be severely compromised by bacterial contamination and handlers must exercise caution to maintain quality.
Powdered mix. This is a dried version of the liquid mix. It has the advantage of easy distribution and can be stored for long periods of time without spoiling. Water must be added prior to being churned and frozen. The disadvantage is that water quality cannot be guaranteed and some operators can put too much water in to make it go further.
Ultra Heat Treated mix is a liquid that has been sterilized and packed in sealed, sterile bags. It can last a very long time without refrigeration and can be poured into the soft serve freezer immediately upon opening. Quality can be guaranteed and bacterial counts at that stage are near zero. Where it is available, health authorities consider it the safest form of soft serve mix on the market. It was first developed for commercial use in New Zealand in 1988.