Mapping the meltdown behavior of frozen dairy desserts

The meltdown test is an efficient tool widely and commonly used to characterize structural changes in frozen desserts resulting from different ingredients and processing conditions. The meltdown is commonly determined by a gravimetric test, and it is used to obtain the onset (M_on), rate (M_rate), and maximum (M_Max) meltdown. However, these parameters are calculated ambiguously due to inconsistencies in the methodology. This work aims to model the meltdown curves (weight vs. time) of different commercial frozen dessert samples (36 commercial samples). Samples of commercial frozen desserts (40-60 g) was placed on a 304 stainless wire cloth (1.50 mm opening size and 52% open area) suspended ∼15 cm above an analytical balance, and the dripped portion of the melted sample was continuously recorded throughout the duration of the test. The meltdown test was conducted at room temperature. Each meltdown test generated between 3,000 to 4,000 data points and was modeled using 4 equations: the logistic model, the Gompertz model, the Richard model, and the Hill model. All the meltdown curves were sigmoidal in shape, regardless of the type of frozen dessert. The experimental meltdown curves were adequately represented by the logistic model, judging by several criteria (R² = 0.999, R_Adj² = 0.999, Akaike information criterion = 6,582, and F-value = 1.88 × 10⁶). Thus, the logistic model was shown to be an effective tool for predicting the meltdown curves of frozen desserts, and it can be used to unambiguously define M_on, M_rate, and M_Max. Moreover, a dimensionless response (meltdown behavior, M_Be) that combines M_on, M_rate, and M_Max was developed and used for mapping the meltdown of different commercial frozen desserts.