Fruits
Bergamot in gelato
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is a highly aromatic, intensely sour citrus whose juice is very low in sugar (~2.5%) and very high in acid. In gelato it works as an intense floral-bitter citrus note, mainly in sorbets, contributing almost no PAC or POD of its own.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 9% |
| Water | 91% |
| Sugars | 2.5% |
| Fat | 0.1% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.4% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 2.7 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 3.3 |
Typical use: Juice 5-15% of the mix in sorbets; as zest or a few drops of cold-pressed oil, 0.1-1% for aroma in cream bases.
Balance bergamot in a real recipe
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Treat bergamot juice like lemon: its sugar load is tiny (~2.5%), so its own contribution to PAC (~3.3) and POD (~2.7) per 100 g is negligible and you must balance sweetness and anti-freezing power with your sugar blend, not the fruit. Its strong point is aroma and acidity (pH ~2.2-2.8): use it in water-based sorbets where the bright bitter-floral citrus shines, or add small amounts of zest/oil to a fior di latte or cream base for perfume. Because the acid can curdle milk proteins, add juice to dairy bases cold, off the heat, and consider a touch of stabilizer to hold texture. The acidity also lowers the freezing point slightly beyond what the sugar table predicts, so err toward a firmer sugar balance.
Origin & background
Bergamot is cultivated almost exclusively along a narrow coastal strip of Calabria in southern Italy, around Reggio Calabria, which supplies the vast majority of the world's crop. Its cold-pressed peel oil is the defining aroma of Earl Grey tea. The fruit is a probable hybrid of sour orange and lemon/citron, too bitter and acidic to eat fresh, so it is valued for its juice, zest and essential oil.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6680538/ (Mandalari et al., Antioxidants 2019, MDPI — Bergamot (Citrus bergamia, Risso): Effects of Cultivar and Harvest Date; free sugars 9 g/L glucose+fructose + 17 g/L sucrose, Brix 7.9-10, titratable acidity 34.98-59.50 g/L, pH 2.2-2.8)
- https://www.lucangeli.co/en/products/pur-jus-de-bergamote-bio-de-calabre (Lucangeli 100% organic Calabrian bergamot juice, manufacturer nutrition label: carbohydrates 2.5 g, of which sugars 2.5 g, fat 0 g, protein 0.07 g per 100 ml)
- https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/8/7/221 (same peer-reviewed dataset, journal page)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6836041/ (Russo et al., Foods 2019 — Effect of Processing Methods on Phytochemical Composition in Bergamot Juice; corroborates soluble-solids and sugar range)