Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 31


FOOD & BEVERAGE
systems
mouvex case study

Steady Pumping Equals
Creamy Ice Cream
Ice cream mixes raise the requirements for volumetrically consistent
pumping technology.
SUELI ROEL BACKES, MOUVEX AND PSG

M

ost people are familiar with the 1920s novelty song titled
"Ice Cream," with its instantly recognizable refrain: "I
scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream." All these years
later, consumers still scream for their favorite dessert choice.
There is, however, screaming that is not desirable when it
comes to discussing ice cream. These are the howls of frustration
that can be heard coming from ice cream manufacturers who are
confronted with an underperforming production process that is
adversely affecting expected high product quality. Speciﬁcally, an
inconsistency of ﬂow rate, pressure, and speed when transferring
mixes during production could result in the formation of ice crystals
that are too large, which compromises the end product's taste,
visual appeal, and creamy sensation.
Ice cream production is actually a relatively straightforward
process. An ingredient mix is pumped through a pipeline to a
double-wall tube or tunnel freezer that is chilled by liquid ammonia
to -22 F (-30 C). Inside the freezer, a slow-turning agitator, or
scraper, forces the mix outward, where it brieﬂy touches the frozen
outer wall before it is turned back inward. This is when the ice
crystals, which eventually become ice cream, are formed.
To achieve the required taste and expected creamy "mouth
feel," the ice cream mix can only spend a highly regulated amount
of time in contact with the freezer's outer wall. This is why the
transfer ﬂow and pressure have to be so accurate.
"If, during the transfer to the ice cream freezer, the ﬂow is
pulsating, then the time the mix spends on the wall isn't under
control," explained Peter Van de Sompel, manager, Bellux for Spin
Pompen, an Assen, The Netherlands-based specialized distributor
of pumps and related equipment for use in the food, beverage, and
pharmaceutical industries.
"When the ﬂow is constant and optimized to the freezer
requirement, then the ice cream coming out of there will have ice
crystals that are impossible to detect by the eye and impossible to
taste. It should be like a cream and solid at the same time, that's
what makes good ice cream."

OCTOBER 2016

Faced with new
recipes that were
taxing the efﬁciency of the centrifugal pumps used in
its manufacturing
process, Ysco, a producer of private-label ice
cream, knew that it needed
a better pumping solution.
With the help of engineering assistant Krist Levrouw
(pictured), the company found a solution with the SLS
Series eccentric-disc pump from Mouvex.
Achieving proper production within the freezer was once
relatively easy. That has changed over the years, however, as ice
cream has evolved from traditional compositions, such as vanilla,
chocolate, and Neapolitan, to much more complicated recipes that
can include ﬂavors, nuts, and chunks of fruit or candy.

MIX MAKEUP AND VISCOSITY
The combination of a strict manufacturing process and a change
in the makeup and viscosity of the ice cream mixes has brought
into question the effectiveness of the pumping technology that has
been traditionally used in ice cream manufacture, namely centrifugal pumps.
"The ice cream freezer is very sensitive. It has to be fed with
continuous pressure, which has to be maintained in a very narrow
range," said Van de Sompel. "That's why the centrifugal pump was
a good solution. But with higher viscosity you need a volumetric
pump with a very stable ﬂow that can be regulated in a very linear
way. If you look at that, you need a pump with an equal ﬂow and a
1:1 ratio of ﬂow to speed."
One company that has mastered the production of ice cream
over the years is Ysco, Langemark, Belgium, which, since 1949,
has been a major player in the production of private-label ice
cream products for retail chains. From its production facilities in

RELIABLE PUMPING SUPPLEMENT |

31

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology October 2016

Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 1
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - Cover1
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - Cover2
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 1
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 2
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 3
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 4
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 5
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 6
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 7
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 8
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 9
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 10
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 11
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 12
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 13
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 14
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 15
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Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 19
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 20
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 21
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Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 23
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 24
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Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 26
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 27
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 28
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 29
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 30
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 31
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 32
Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 33
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Maintenance Technology October 2016 - Cover3
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