Friend or Foe? Master Lactose in Your Gelato
Ever wondered what really causes gelato sandiness? This article is the key to understanding lactose—the milk sugar that is both a blessing and a curse for the artisan. Discover its nature to take control of your gelato structure and eliminate that gritty texture once and for all.
In the world of artisanal gelato, there are ingredients we love and those we fear. Lactose belongs to both categories. It's the milk sugar that is an inseparable part of our base, but in excess, it becomes our greatest enemy. This article is an excellent introduction to understanding this two-faced player.
The text explains that lactose is a sugar naturally found in milk, making up a significant part of the milk solids-not-fat (MSNF). It contributes to building the "body" of the gelato and, to some extent, its sweetness. But that's where its benefits end. As we learn from the article, lactose has very low solubility in water. This means that when there's too much of it in our mix and the temperature drops, it has no choice but to precipitate out of the solution and form hard, sharp crystals. This process is the dreaded gelato sandiness—a defect that can ruin even the most delicious composition.
Understanding the nature of lactose is key to avoiding it. But how do you do it in practice? How do you precisely control its level when adding milk powder to boost MSNF? How do you perfectly balance the recipe? This is where our application becomes your indispensable guardian. It is designed to automatically monitor the lactose level in your recipe. It's a tool that allows you to design gelato without risk. As soon as you cross the safe threshold, the app will immediately notify you. It's crucial when you want to remove ready-made powder bases and have full control. The app helps in eliminating the sandy effect in gelato at its source—during the design stage. With the support of artificial intelligence in gelato production, you can be sure that your gelato will always have a perfectly smooth structure, and you will avoid a costly failure.