This article explores the case study of Perry’s Ice Cream – a large family ice cream production business. Perry’s Ice Cream has begun using the ORACLE for fat content testing, having previously been using the Gerber method.
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Moving to a modern, machine led method has both improved their product quality and their production efficiency.
The Start of Perry’s Ice Cream
Perry’s Ice Cream is a family owned business that has been passed down over four generations. The business began in 1918 when H. Morton Perry started a horse and wagon driven milk round, with the first ice cream batch produced at home for the local school using a family recipe.
Since then the business has grown significantly and produces more than 12 million gallons of ice cream a year. They still use the same initial slow cooking method and produce the ice cream in single batches, meaning it is rich and creamy.
100 Years of Perry’s Ice Cream
Perry’s Ice Cream has been spending the year celebrating their 100-year anniversary. They started the year by re-releasing old favorite flavors, alongside a new flavor – The Good Stuff – based on one of Mr. Perry’s saying, “make sure you put in enough of the good stuff.”
Perry’s Ice Cream apply this philosophy to both their products and how they operate as a business. They recognize how much the business has developed in the last 100 years, and how much further they can go.
The Importance of Fat Testing Ice Cream
Fat testing is important, the volume of fat impacts the flavor and product standards must be adhered to. Especially when producing premium product ranges the correct amount of fat is required to ensure a creamy texture and the best taste.
Fat Testing with CEM’s ORACLE
Conventionally the Gerber method, first described in 1891, has been used by Perry’s Ice Cream for fat testing, and can still be used to adhere to modern regulations.
However, they realized that modern technologies are more effective, in particular the ORACLE system which is far more advanced. Furthermore the ORACLE system does not use acid, making their lab safer.
The ORACLE uses a highly accurate method, which provides a higher level of precision, which fits to 0.2% of Mojonnier reference values. This improvement in accuracy is hugely beneficial.
ORACLE’s Impact on the Business
After carrying out a study in January comparing Gerber results with Mojonnier references, Perry’s Ice Cream realized that there was a lot of variation in the data. It was this variation that inspired Perry’s Ice Cream to explore using the ORACLE system.
As the ORACLE system is more accurate it allows Perry’s Ice Cream to save money and resources. The ORACLE system also halves the time required to take a test, making testing operations more efficient.
As the ORACLE system is easy to operate, it does not require much time to train lab staff to run tests and it is easily maintained. When the system was installed, CEM’s knowledgeable experts helped Perry’s Ice Cream set up the system in a way that increased efficiency and used minimal space.
How Improved Testing Has Benefited the Business
The use of a more accurate testing method means ice cream formulations are produced with more precision. This means Perry’s Ice Cream can accurately tailor the different ingredients in a blend, meaning the ice cream is of better quality and is produced more cost-effectively.
The reduced test time also means operators can spend more time testing new formulations, running more mixes and focusing on the quality of the ice cream produced.
Conclusion
Perry’s Ice Cream has improved the quality of their ice cream blends, reduced the cost, and reduced the volume of ingredients needed to produce them using the ORACLE’s precise method of fat content testing.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by CEM - Process Control.
For more information on this source, please visit CEM - Process Control.