Alcohols & Liqueurs
Alcohol 96° in gelato
Alcohol 96° is food-grade rectified ethanol (96% ethanol by volume, roughly 94% by weight, the balance water). In gelato it acts as a pure freezing-point depressant, adding no solids and no sweetness, only a very large anti-freezing (PAC) contribution used in trace amounts.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 0% |
| Water | 100% |
| Sugars | 0% |
| Fat | 0% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 0 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 710 |
Typical use: 0.2-2% of the total mix, rarely above 3%; even 1% measurably softens the finished gelato.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Ethanol has the highest anti-freezing power of any common gelato ingredient, a PAC of about 740 versus sucrose's 100, roughly 7.4 times stronger per gram, because its small 46 g/mol molecule depresses freezing colligatively far more than 342 g/mol sucrose. At 96 degrees the product contributes a PAC near 710 per 100 g and a POD of 0 (no sweetness), so it lowers serving hardness without changing the sugar balance. Because it is so potent, dose only fractions of a percent: as little as 1% noticeably softens the gelato and speeds melting. Use it to fine-tune scoopability, rescue an over-firm base, or dissolve alcohol-soluble aromas; overdosing gives a soupy mix that will not set.
Origin & background
Rectified spirit is capped near 96% because ethanol and water form a minimum-boiling azeotrope (about 95.6% ethanol by weight, boiling at 78.2 C) that ordinary fractional distillation cannot exceed, which is why the traditional '96 degree' grade exists. It is a pharmacopeial standard, formally described in the WHO International Pharmacopoeia monograph 'Ethanol (96 per cent)'.