(See details under mix ingredients.)

• Milkfat: >10% - 16%
• Milk solids-not-fat (snf): 9% - 12%
• Sucrose: 10% - 14%
• Corn syrup solids: 4% - 5%
• Stabilizers: 0% - 0.4%
• Emulsifiers: 0% - 0.25%
• Water: 55% - 64%

The snf contains, on average, dry wt. basis, 38% protein, 54% lactose, and 8% ash (including 1.38% Ca, 1.07% P, 1.22% K, 0.7% Na).

First of all, regulatory issues. What are the product definitions for your legal jurisdiction? These, of course, have to be met.

Next, desired Fat and Total solids (%): - Quality considerations, what kind of product are you trying to make?

Fat: MSNF Ratio's usually determined next based on fat content.

Sugar: Glucose solids Ratio's determined based on fat and total solids requirements, sweetness, freezing point depression, body and shelf life desired, and cost considerations.

Stabilizer/Emulsifier considerations come last, based on the ice cream formulation, and processing and distribution factors involved in each application.

With these considerations in mind, it is also useful to look at ranges of components for the categories of products in the ice cream category that are available in the market. These are industry-used terms, not legally defined.

Economy Brands

• Fat content, usually legal minimum, e.g., 10%
• Total solids, usually legal minimum, e.g., 36%
• Overrun, usually legal maximum, ~120%
• Cost, low

Standard Brands

• Fat content, 10-12%
• Total solids, 36-38%
• Overrun, 100-120%
• Cost, average

Premium Brands

• Fat content, 12-15%
• Total solids, 38-40%
• Overrun, 60-90%
• Cost, higher than average

Super-premium Brands

• Fat content, 15-18%
• Total solids, >40%
• Overrun, 25-50%
• Cost, high

Below are composition tables, based on mix components. To convert these to recipes based on ingredients to be used, please see the section on mix calculations.

If you are looking for recipes, please see the section on homemade ice cream. 

A standard base recipe could consist of 30% heavy cream (35% fat), 50% whole milk (3.25% fat), 4% skim milk powder, 15% sugar and 1% egg yolk.

Suggested mixes for hard-frozen ice cream products.

*Highly variable depending on type; manufacturers recommendations are usually followed.

• Usually an inverse relationship between fat and total solids compared to snf
• Generally an inverse relationship between glucose solids (corn sweetener) levels and total solids
• As total solids increases, there is less requirement for stabilizer
• As fat levels in a mix increase, there is generally less need for emulsifier

Suggested mixes for low-fat (3-5% fat) and light (6-8% fat) ice cream products.

Ice milk was the traditional lower fat ice cream product for many years, but this category has been re-classified by many regulatory jurisdictions to include three reduced fat categories: light ice cream, lowfat ice cream (the traditional ice milk), and non-fat ice cream. It has generally been possible to produce fat contents as low as 4% with traditional products, but further fat reductions have generally involved fat-replacers.

Suggested mixes for soft-frozen ice cream products.

 *Highly variable depending on type; manufacturers recommendations are usually followed.

Generally, while the fat content is kept lower, the snf content is generally higher than for hard-frozen products.

• Glucose solids are often used, but can lead to an enhanced sensation of guminess.
• Stabilizers are also generally used for viscosity enhancement and mouthfeel, but their function in ice recrystallization is no longer needed.
• Dryness, however, is a big concern in soft-serve products, hence the emulsifier content is generally kept high.

Sherbet and Sorbet

• * Or as advised from the supplier.
• ** Acid is added just before freezing, after aging of the mix.
• Sorbet: delete the mix and skim powder
• Fruit: at about 25% to the mix. 

Frozen Yogurt

• Example Processing Instructions: 20% of this mix, consisting of skimmilk and skimmilk powder blended to give 12.5% solids, is to be incubated as the yogurt portion.
• To make the "incubated" portion, combine the appropriate amount of skimmilk and skimmilk powder, pasteurize at a high temperature, cool to 104 to 110F, and inoculate with a yogurt culture (typical of yogurt processing). When the fermentation is complete (to the desired acidity), cool the "yogurt".
• To make the "sweet" mix, combine the cream, sugar and stabilizer, and the balance of the skimmilk powder and skimmilk, pasteurize, homogenize, cool (typical for ice cream processing), and blend with the "yogurt".
• The completed frozen yogurt mix is then aged and prepared for flavouring and freezing.

Frozen yogurt in many legal jurisdictions is an unstandardized product, so there are no legally-defined characteristics. However, in keeping with the connotation of a real "yogurt", which we have come to accept as a fermented dairy product, two characteristics that should be met for a frozen yogurt include:

• The presence of live culture;
• Developed (from fermentation) acidity.