What Is PAC in Gelato? Quick FAQ Answer for Pros 2026

The lab calls it Potere Anti-Congelante; the spreadsheet calls it PAC. It is the single number that decides whether a Saturday afternoon scoop curls cleanly or fights the spade. This FAQ covers what PAC means, how it is computed, the targets that matter, and the three rookie mistakes that quietly wreck batches.

The 60-Second Answer

Quick reference. PAC is a weighted score of how much each sugar in your mix lowers water's freezing point. Sucrose = 100. Aim for 250-290 in a -14 C cabinet for cream gelato.

Figure 1 — pac values bar chart for common gelato sugars showing dextrose and fructose at 190.

PAC measures freezing-point depression. Every sugar — sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, glucose syrup, inverted sugar, allulose — pushes the freezing point of the water in your mix below 0 C. Some push harder than others. The PAC index normalises that effect against sucrose so a single weighted average tells you, with one calculation, how much unfrozen water remains at any given temperature.

Why does that matter? Because gelato is about 60 to 65 percent water by mass. If too much of it freezes solid at -14 C the scoop is concrete. If too little freezes, the gelato slumps. PAC is the dial that controls how much of that water sits as liquid syrup at serving temperature.

How PAC Is Calculated

The formula is a weighted average of each sugar's PAC value, by mass, divided by total water — then scaled. The shortcut version most lab books use is:

PAC = sum of (sugar grams x sugar PAC value) / total water grams x 100

You don't need to do this by hand. The free PAC calculator handles it in two clicks. But you do need to know the values your ingredients carry:

Notice dextrose. Same PAC as fructose (190), but fraction of the sweetness. That asymmetry is why pros lean on it: 5 percent dextrose drops freezing point hard without making the gelato cloying.

PAC Targets By Gelato Type

Cabinets typically run -12 to -14 C. Targets shift by recipe family because fat is itself a softener — fattier mixes can run lower PAC and still scoop clean.

If a recipe lands outside its band, swap a sugar before changing total mass. Replacing 4 percent sucrose with 4 percent dextrose lifts PAC by about 4 points without touching solids or sweetness much. Replacing it with glucose syrup DE38 drops PAC by 1 point but adds body.

PAC vs POD vs Total Solids

These three numbers are independent levers. Get them confused and recipes drift.

• PAC answers: will it scoop? Target by content type. Use the PAC calculator.
• POD answers: is it sweet enough? Target 180-220 for cream gelato. Use the POD calculator.
• Total solids answers: does it have body? Target 36-42 percent. Use the total solids calculator.

You can hit a perfect PAC and still ship gelato that tastes flat (POD too low) or wet (TS too low). Always check all three. The full method is in the step-by-step balancing guide.

Three Rookie PAC Mistakes

1. Ignoring lactose. A 4 percent skim milk powder addition brings about 2 percent lactose, worth 2 PAC points. On a 290-PAC sorbetto that crosses you straight into "soupy". See the lactose primer.
2. Treating glucose syrup as one ingredient. DE38 glucose is mild on PAC but heavy on body. DE60 is the opposite. The DE number on the bag is the most important spec.
3. Forgetting the cabinet temperature. A 270 PAC at -14 C is firm. The same 270 at -12 C is soft. If your case is warmer than spec, drop PAC by 5-10 points to compensate.

If a customer complaint reads "too icy" or "too hard", PAC is usually the cause. The diagnostic guide walks through the fix in five steps. For the icy version see Why Is My Gelato Icy.

Related Concepts

• PAC glossary entry — full definition
• Free PAC calculator
• POD — sweetness power
• Total solids in gelato
• Sugar substitution tool
• Gelato vs ice cream — full comparison