https://kvalifood.com/tags/crystals/ Recent content in Crystals on Kvalifood Hugo en-us Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://kvalifood.com/wiki/ice-cream/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100 https://kvalifood.com/wiki/ice-cream/ <h1 id="ice-cream">Ice Cream</h1> <img src="https://kvalifood.com/wiki/ice-cream/ice-cream_hu_1e3a222c7c724c94.webp" alt="" loading="lazy"> <p>Ice cream is a three-phase system — water, fat, and air — held in dynamic equilibrium by freezing, emulsification, and mechanical aeration. Understanding these three phases and how they interact explains everything about ice cream&rsquo;s texture, from the silky density of gelato to the airy lightness of soft-serve.</p> <h2 id="the-three-phases">The three phases</h2> <ol> <li><strong>Water phase</strong> (continuous): A sugar solution containing dissolved lactose, milk proteins, and minerals. The sugar lowers the freezing point, which is why ice cream is scoopable rather than solid.</li> <li><strong>Fat phase</strong> (dispersed): <a href="https://kvalifood.com/wiki/cream/">Cream</a> fat globules coated in MFGM proteins and phospholipids, the same <a href="https://kvalifood.com/wiki/emulsions/">emulsion</a> structure as <a href="https://kvalifood.com/wiki/milk/">milk</a> — just frozen.</li> <li><strong>Air phase</strong> (dispersed): Bubbles incorporated during churning, stabilized by fat globule membranes and denatured proteins. Air is what makes ice cream light; without it, frozen cream is rock-hard.</li> </ol> <h2 id="freezing-point-depression">Freezing point depression</h2> <p>Pure water freezes at 32°F/0°C. Ice cream mixture, with 12–18% dissolved solids (sugar, lactose, minerals), freezes around 26–28°F/−3 to −2°C. Each 1% dissolved solids lowers the freezing point by roughly 0.1°F. This is the fundamental reason ice cream has texture instead of being a block of ice — at serving temperature, a significant fraction of the water remains liquid, keeping the mixture soft.</p>