Industrial Ice Cream Production Process

Industrial Ice Cream Production Process | Generated by AI

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How Ice Cream Is Made

Ice cream production typically follows a standardized industrial process to ensure consistency, safety, and texture. While homemade versions simplify some steps, commercial manufacturing (like at chains such as Mixue Bingcheng) involves more precision. Here’s a step-by-step overview of the key stages:

Ingredient Blending: The base mix is prepared by combining dairy (milk, cream), sweeteners (sugar or corn syrup), stabilizers (like guar gum for texture), and emulsifiers (to prevent separation). For flavored varieties, additions like vanilla or fruit purees come later.
Pasteurization: The mixture is heated to 165°F (74°C) for at least 15 seconds or 280°F (138°C) for a few seconds to kill bacteria, ensuring food safety. This also helps dissolve sugars fully.
Homogenization: The hot mix is forced through tiny nozzles under high pressure (2,000–3,000 psi) to break fat globules into smaller particles. This creates a smooth, creamy texture by evenly distributing fats.
Aging: The mix is cooled to 36–40°F (2–4°C) and held for 4–24 hours in tanks. This allows fats to crystallize and proteins to hydrate, improving whipability and mouthfeel.
Flavoring and Coloring: Liquid flavors, colors, and inclusions (like chocolate chunks or nuts) are added just before freezing to preserve delicate aromas.
Freezing and Aeration: The mix is pumped into a continuous freezer where it’s rapidly cooled to 18–22°F (-8 to -6°C) while being agitated. Air is whipped in (overrun of 50–100%, meaning volume doubles or more), creating lightness. For soft-serve (common at Mixue), it’s extruded directly.
Packaging and Hardening: The semi-frozen ice cream is filled into containers and blast-frozen to -10°F (-23°C) or lower for 2–4 hours to solidify fully. It’s then stored at -20°F (-29°C) until distribution.

This process can vary slightly by type (e.g., gelato uses less air), but it’s designed to achieve the ideal balance of creaminess, scoopability, and shelf life.

Storing Mixue Bingcheng Ice Cream in China

Mixue Bingcheng (蜜雪冰城), a popular Chinese chain known for affordable soft-serve and cone ice creams, follows standard commercial ice cream guidelines for storage, as no brand-specific instructions were found in public sources. Here’s what you need to know:

Recommended Temperature: Yes, -18°C (0°F) in your refrigerator’s freezer compartment is sufficient for short-term home storage (up to a few weeks). This is the industry standard to keep it frozen solid and prevent bacterial growth. However, for longer storage (1–3 months) or to maintain optimal texture without ice crystals forming, a lower temperature of -20°C to -25°C (-4°F to -13°F) is ideal. Most home freezers hover around -18°C, so if yours runs warmer, consider a dedicated ice cream storage container to minimize air exposure.
Do You Need a Lower Degree? Not strictly necessary for casual use, but yes, if you’re buying in bulk or storing for over a month. Lower temps slow down sublimation (where ice turns directly to vapor, causing dryness). Mixue’s products, being soft-serve style, are more prone to texture changes if not kept cold enough.
Tips for Home Storage:
- Keep it sealed in its original packaging or airtight containers to avoid freezer burn.
- Store in the back of the freezer (coldest spot) away from the door.
- Avoid temperature fluctuations—don’t refreeze after partial thawing.

How Mixue Bingcheng Ice Cream Melts

Mixue’s ice cream melts similarly to standard soft-serve but can hold its shape a bit longer due to formulation tweaks like high-melting-point oils and stabilizers, which are common in budget Asian brands to reduce mess during serving.

Melting Process: At room temperature (around 20–25°C or 68–77°F), it begins softening in 5–10 minutes, turning from firm to creamy as the fats and water separate. Full liquefaction happens in 15–30 minutes, forming a puddle without much dripping initially (thanks to emulsifiers). Unlike premium ice creams, it may separate slightly, with watery whey pooling first.
Factors Affecting Melt: Higher ambient heat/humidity speeds it up; adding toppings like cones helps contain it. There’s been online buzz about some Chinese ice creams (including Mixue) “not melting” quickly, but this is often due to those oils—it’s not indestructible and will fully melt if left out.

If you’re buying from a Mixue store in China, ask staff for any local tips, as their soft-serve is best enjoyed fresh!

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