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56
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 70
samples submitted to the public analyst 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 per cent 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 161 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.