In the hot summer, nothing can’t be cured by an ice cream. On June 29, the Jiangxi Provincial Market Supervision Bureau issued a special consumer tip to remind consumers of the precautions for eating ice cream.
What is ice cream?
Ice cream is a frozen drink made with drinking water, milk and/or dairy products, egg products, fruit products, soy products, sugar, edible vegetable oil, etc. as raw materials or auxiliary materials, with or without food additives and/or food nutritional fortifiers, through mixing, sterilization, homogenization, cooling, molding, freezing and other processes.
Is there a difference between ice cream and ice cream?
In real life, many consumers are not clear about the difference between ice cream and ice cream. Ice cream and ice cream are mainly frozen drinks made from drinking water, milk and/or dairy products, egg products, sugar, etc. But there are still some differences between the two. First of all, as you can see on the product label, the implementation standard for ice cream is GB/T 31119, while the implementation standard for ice cream is GB/T 31114. Secondly, in terms of fat and protein content, ice cream has a higher fat and protein content than ice cream (≥ fat content of ice cream ≥0.4%; ice cream has a fat content of ≥5.0% and a protein content ≥2.2%). Thirdly, in terms of sensory characteristics and packaging, ice cream is “frozen firm, delicate and lubricated”, while ice cream has higher requirements for fat content, and its taste lubrication characteristics will be more prominent. Finally, in terms of packaging, due to the relatively high puffing rate and low hardness of ice cream, it is often packaged in boxes, small bowls or cones, while ice cream has a higher water content, lower puffing rate, and high hardness, so there is no need to use containers such as boxes and small bowls to serve it.
Is food coloring in ice cream bad for health?
The brilliant color of ice cream comes from food coloring, which can give ice cream different colors. Food coloring can be divided into two categories: natural pigments and synthetic pigments according to their origin and properties. Natural pigments are extracted and purified from animal, plant, and microbial materials. Commonly used natural pigments include cochineal, chlorophyll, curcumin, carotene, etc. Synthetic pigments are synthesized by chemical methods, with strong coloring power and good stability, such as sunset yellow, temptation red, tartrazine, etc. The National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) clearly stipulates the allowable addition range and maximum amount of various colors. Therefore, the reasonable use of pigments within the scope of the standard will not cause harm to human health.
Can you eat ice cream that doesn’t melt?
An ice cream did not melt at room temperature of 31°C for 1 hour, which once made consumers think that it was caused by adding too many additives. In fact, there are many factors that affect the melting of ice cream. Generally speaking, the higher the total solids content, the relatively less water accounted for, and the slower the melting speed of ice cream. In fact, there is no ice cream that will not melt, just because some food thickeners and other ingredients are added to the ice cream, the ice cream can maintain a good viscosity after melting, and it just looks like it has not melted. According to our country’s food additive use standards, common thickeners that can be added to ice cream are: sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sodium alginate, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan and guar gum, etc. Many food glues are “natural extracts”, which are soluble dietary fibers and have good safety.
There are three points to pay attention to when buying and eating ice cream: First, it is recommended to buy well-packaged and normal-shaped ice cream in regular shopping malls, supermarkets or retail stores. Before purchasing, pay attention to the product label information and refuse the “three noes” products; second, do not eat frozen drinks immediately after fasting and strenuous exercise, and do not drink hot water immediately after eating frozen drinks, so as not to stimulate the gastric mucosal blood vessels and cause gastrointestinal dysfunction and other related diseases; third, the elderly, children and people with low immunity need to eat moderately and cautiously.