Bill Sipple

Consumer interest in “clean labels,” i.e., use of ingredients perceived to occur naturally in foods, has created a challenge to frozen dessert formulators.

We (and, perhaps, you) are continually being asked how to be more innovative. We suspect the term to be used without a clear definition nor guidance. 

We are most often asked how many “types” or “styles” of ice cream exist? In the simplest of terms, no matter the style, ice cream (and frozen dessert variants, thereof,) is the only food designed, formulated, manufactured, marketed, and sold with the express intent of being consumed frozen.

The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations outlines requirements and considerations related to the labeling of foods, including ice cream and frozen desserts.

We are often asked about possible cost control/savings resulting in changing the amount and type of sweeteners used in frozen desserts. 

Water ices and sorbets (a.k.a. “sorbetto” when presented for sale/consumption alongside gelato) can be considered sherbets without dairy ingredients. Water ices are compositions of water, sugar, corn syrup, and color/flavor. Sorbets are “upscale water ices” using fruit primarily as the source of solids. 

It’s “ice” cream for heaven’s sake — the only food designed, formulated, manufactured, stored, distributed and sold with the express intent to be consumed frozen. It’s not frozen pizza, nor a pack of frozen peas, Ice cream is different.

For many years, we (Bruce Tharp, Steve Young, and Bill Sipple) have contemplated, created, and applied a number of mix analytics.

As an ingredient in frozen desserts, milkfat is critical when delivering sensory appeal and resistance to heat shock. The actual percentage of milkfat depends on a number of factors, including regulatory considerations, nutrition fact objectives and sensory appea. Learn more from ice cream gurus, Steven Young and Bill Sipple.

While vanilla, chocolate and vanilla/chocolate-based flavors are often times the core of frozen desserts, ice cream gurus Steve Young and Bill Sipple discuss ways to help fruit-flavored ice creams, frozen yogurts, sherbets and sorbets shine with strawberry, raspberry and orange.