Effect of homogenisation on fat droplets and viscosity of aged ice cream mixes

The properties of ice cream are intrinsically linked to its microstructure. One of the most important characteristics of ice cream mixes is particle size distribution, which have a direct effect on stability, rheology, melting behaviour and overall quality. Homogenisation is a key process used to disrupt fat globules and achieve the desired size. Previous studies have investigated droplet breakup mechanisms in different emulsification devices and regimes, including high-pressure homogenisers. In this work, the effect of homogenisation on the fat droplet size and viscosity of aged ice cream mixes was investigated. The mode of the fat globules decreased with increasing pressure, and the viscosity increased with homogenisation pressure drop and fat content. Both were found to follow a power-law trend, where the pressure showed to be the greatest influence. A model was proposed to describe the whole particle size distribution of aged ice cream mixes, using three log-normal functions.