Ice cream production in the food & beverage industry

Ice cream is a colloidal emulsion with a dispersed phase as fat globules. It is an emulsion that is ultimately made into foam by incorporating air cells that are frozen into dispersed ice cells. When it comes to the composition of ice cream, ice crystals are of the utmost importance as they provide a desirable mouthfeel. For ice cream production, the required stored raw materials, such as milk / cream, aromas, enzymes, palm or coconut oil, sugar, milk powder, fruits and cocoa are dosed into a mixing container and processed into a smooth, supple mass. This is then pasteurised by heating it to 75°C in order to kill any unwanted micro-organisms. In the next step, the mass is homogenised in order to counteract possible churning out of the milk fat in the subsequent manufacturing steps. To ripen, the homogenised and pasteurised mass is pumped into cylindrical containers and continuously gently stirred at between- 2 and 5°C. The mixture is then stirred to include air spaces and cooled below the freezing point of water to prevent the formation of detectable ice crystals. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is firm at very low temperatures.

KROHNE offers precisely tailored measuring devices for these tasks. Fast, extremely accurate, robust temperature sensors, as well as ultra-compact and modularly expandable pressure transmitters for hygienic pressure and level applications are available with a variety of hygienic connections. Electromagnetic and Coriolis mass flowmeters provide exact results for both simple and demanding hygienic applications. Thanks to the EGM™ technology by KROHNE (Entrained Gas Management), Coriolis devices can even do this with entrained gas proportions of up to 100%. FMCW radar level measuring devices with a large selection of hygienic process connections enable reliable, continuous, non-contact level measurement in both process and storage tanks. Capacitive level switches with a short immersion depth in the process are not influenced by foam, condensate or deposits. All devices are EHEDG and 3-A certified and meet the requirements of FDA and EC1935 / 2004.

KROHNE Global Industry Division Food & Beverage

Headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, our Global Industry Division is dedicated to serving customers in the Food & Beverage industry. Being an instrumentation supplier in the industry for over 20 years, we have gained industry- and application-specific know-how that we implemented into our devices and measuring solutions. Our offering extends from elementary process instrumentation up to fully engineered systems, and from engineering consultancy during the design phase, through to on-site commissioning and training. With presence in around 100 countries, local support is usually available from just around the corner. This applies whether the application can be covered by standard instrumentation, or is more challenging, where a one-off solution with dedicated process diagnostics is required.