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Lactose-free and lactose-reduced ice cream1 is typically made using the same type ice cream production lines as conventional dairy ice cream. The primary difference lies in modifying the recipe correctly to ensure that the ice cream ingredients contain no or reduced lactose.
Ice cream experts are on hand at our Ice Cream Academy in Denmark to help you develop the perfect product for your audience and get the most from your lactose-free ice cream processing equipment. They stand ready to assist you in ice cream innovation, redefining and reinventing your recipes to stay ahead in this growing market.
Go lactose-free in three different ways
ALTERNATIVE 1
Method 1: Use lactose-free/lactose-reduced milk powder
Producers often use lactose-free or lactose-reduced milk powder for their recipe base. This lowers the freezing point of the mix – and if the freezing point drops too low, it may cause the ice cream to be softer than desired. Challenges can then arise in the continuous freezing process. To avoid this scenario, producers recalibrate their recipe by adjusting – and in some cases reducing – the levels of sugars such as sucrose, dextrose and glucose syrup. Tetra Pak can guide you in how to do this so your lactose-free/lactose-reduced ice cream tastes perfect every time.
ALTERNATIVE 2
Method 2: Add lactase enzyme
Another way to go lactose-free/lactose-reduced is to add the enzyme lactase to the ice cream mix in a tank installed on the line. Lactase removes lactose by breaking it down into two different sugars. The length of this process varies depending on the exact lactase enzyme used. Enzyme suppliers provide information on dosage, temperature and holding time. But since enzyme performance can vary, the risk of lactose residues remaining in the product remains ever-present. As a result, regular quality assurance is required for compliance purposes and to ensure the lactase does its job and removes the lactose. Usually the tank will be placed at the start of the line, but lactase addition can also be performed on the finished ice cream mix. In either case, it is again essential to rebalance the sugars in the mix to achieve an optimal freezing point and to ensure high product quality and production process performance.
ALTERNATIVE 3
Method 3: Non-dairy alternatives
Another route to lactose-free is to make a sorbet, which contains no dairy ingredients and hence no lactose, or a sherbet frozen dessert. Again, reducing or eliminating milk solids in an ice cream mix requires competent recipe management. Here Tetra Pak has extensive expertise and stands ready to assist you. Plant-based frozen desserts are also lactose-free and are produced using conventional ice cream techniques. For optimal results, equipment setups may require modifications or added options in areas such as mixing, homogenisation, heat treatment and continuous freezing.
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1 The rules for designating lactose-free and lactose-reduced food products vary between countries. They must be checked in each case by the food producer based on the recipe, technology applied, quality control testing procedures and food product positioning.