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53
Icecream — composition
Under the Food Standards (Icecream) Order, 1953, icecream
must contain not less than 5 percent fat, 10 percent sugar and 7½ percent
milk solids other than fat. There are provisos in respect of icecream
containing any fruit, fruit pulp or fruit puree, and kosher ice. The 55
samples submitted to the public analyst for analysis were found to have
the composition shown in the appended table :—

Icecream — grading
Icecream is submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for
bacteriological examination. The icecream is graded according to the
time taken to decolorise a dye, methylene blue. The test is a provisional
one and because of the many factors which govern the hygienic quality
of icecream it is recommended officially that judgment should be based
on a series of samples and that too much attention should not be paid
to the result of an individual sample. It is suggested that over a
six-monthly period, at least 50 percent of a vendor's samples should fall
into grade 1, 80 percent into grades 1 or 2, not more than 20 percent
into grade 3 and none into grade 4.
During the year 166 samples of icecream were submitted for
bacteriological examination with the following results :—

In general, grades I and II are satisfactory, while grades III and IV
may indicate some defect in manufacture, handling or storage. Such
cases are followed up and advice is given.