Free PAC Calculator for Gelato — Anti-Freezing Power Made Si
Table of contents
Figure 1 — PAC determines whether your dessert is hard, soft, or icy at -14C service temperature.
What This Calculator Does
The PAC calculator computes the Potere Anti Congelante of any gelato or sorbet recipe in real time. PAC is the single most important number for predicting whether your gelato will be too hard, too soft, or perfectly scoopable at serving temperature.
Use the free professional balancing calculator →
You enter your ingredients and quantities; the tool returns:
- Total PAC of the recipe
- Sugar-by-sugar contribution breakdown
- Comparison to target range for your recipe type
- Visual indicator (green/yellow/red zone)
How PAC Works
Every sugar lowers water's freezing point by a specific amount. Sucrose is the reference: 100 PAC per gram in solution. Other sugars compare:
| Sugar | PAC value |
|---|---|
| Sucrose (table sugar) | 100 |
| Dextrose (glucose) | 190 |
| Fructose | 190 |
| Inverted sugar | 190 |
| Glucose syrup DE60 | 119 |
| Glucose syrup DE38 | 52 |
| Maltodextrin DE19 | 23 |
| Trehalose | 70 |
| Lactose (from milk) | 100 |
| Erythritol | 280 |
| Allulose | 235 |
A recipe's total PAC = the sum of (each sugar's weight × its PAC value) ÷ 100, normalized to the mix.
Why You Can't Eyeball PAC
Two recipes with identical sugar weight can have wildly different PAC:
Recipe A: 200 g sucrose → PAC contribution = 200 × 1.00 = 200 Recipe B: 100 g sucrose + 100 g dextrose → PAC contribution = 100 × 1.00 + 100 × 1.90 = 290
That's a 45% PAC difference from the same total sugar weight. Without a calculator, you're flying blind.
Target PAC Ranges
| Product | Target PAC | What happens outside range |
|---|---|---|
| Gelato (showcase -14°C) | 230–280 | Too low: scoops like a brick. Too high: melts in display. |
| Sorbet | 280–340 | Too low: icy and hard. Too high: slushy. |
| Granita | 180–220 | Too high: loses the icy texture. |
| Soft-serve | 280–320 | Calibrated for direct extrusion. |
| Bombolini gelato (-20°C transport) | 200–240 | Calibrated for colder serving temp. |
These ranges assume a standard showcase at -14°C ± 1°C. If your showcase runs warmer (-12°C) you need lower PAC to keep firmness; colder (-16°C) you need higher PAC to keep scoopability.
How to Use the Free Calculator
Step 1. Open the free balancing calculator (no signup, opens instantly).
Step 2. Add ingredients from the dropdown — each ingredient already has its sugar/fat/MSNF/water composition pre-loaded.
Step 3. Type the gram weight of each ingredient.
Step 4. Read the PAC value at the top of the analysis panel. Watch the colored target indicator — green means in-range for your recipe type.
Step 5. If out of range, swap one sugar for another. Replacing 30 g of sucrose with 30 g of dextrose adds ~27 PAC. Adding inverted sugar trahalose drops PAC. Iterate until green.
Common PAC Adjustments
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Gelato too hard | Replace 30–50 g sucrose with dextrose or inverted sugar |
| Gelato too soft / melts | Replace dextrose with sucrose or add 20–40 g trehalose |
| Sorbet too icy | Increase total sugar or shift toward dextrose |
| Sorbet too slushy | Reduce total sugar or shift back to sucrose |
The calculator shows the PAC change instantly as you adjust weights — much faster than running the math by hand.
Why Pros Use a Calculator (Not Just Recipes)
A copied recipe works only if your ingredients match exactly. Different milk fat %, different cream %, different sugar types — all change PAC. The calculator lets you adapt any recipe to your actual ingredients without breaking the balance.
For commercial gelaterias, this means consistent product across dairy supplier changes, seasonal cream variation, and ingredient swaps for cost control.
What the Full Calculator Includes
The free professional version calculates simultaneously:
- PAC (anti-freezing power)
- POD (sweetness)
- Total Solids (35–45% target)
- Fat (dairy 6–10%, sorbet 0%)
- MSNF (milk solids non-fat 8–12%)
- Estimated overrun
- Lactose grams (for lactose-intolerance labeling)
All in one interface. No login, no paywall, no time limit.
Worked example — calculating PAC for fior di latte
| Ingredient | Weight (g) | Sugar weight (g) | Anti-freeze coefficient | PAC contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole milk (lactose 4.7%) | 600 | 28.2 | 100 | 28.2 |
| Heavy cream (lactose 3.0%) | 130 | 3.9 | 100 | 3.9 |
| Skim milk powder (lactose 51%) | 35 | 17.85 | 100 | 17.85 |
| Sucrose | 130 | 130 | 100 | 130 |
| Dextrose (anhydrous) | 30 | 30 | 190 | 57 |
| Inverted sugar | 25 | 25 | 190 | 47.5 |
| Trehalose | 15 | 15 | 100 | 15 |
| Total sugar PAC | 250 | 299.45 |
Water content = total mix (1000 g) − total solids (380 g) = 620 g water
PAC = (299.45 ÷ 620) × 100 = 48.3 → on Italian scale × 5.07 → 245
Result: PAC = 245, comfortably inside the 230–280 gelato range. The recipe is balanced.
Skip the math. Drop your recipe into the free PAC calculator and it returns the value in <0.1 second — plus warns if you're outside range.
Related Concepts
- POD (Potere Dolcificante) — the sweetness counterpart to PAC
- Total Solids — the body counterpart
- Sucrose, Dextrose, Inverted sugar — the main PAC contributors
- Bilanciamento — the overall recipe balancing concept
Run these numbers live
Open the free balancer and adjust ingredients as you read.
