Coffees, Teas & Aromatics
Nutmeg Powder in gelato
Nutmeg powder is the ground seed kernel of Myristica fragrans, a warm, aromatic spice roughly 36% fat and rich in essential oils. In gelato it is a pure flavoring: used at a pinch, it adds warm spice character with essentially no effect on sweetness or freezing point.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 94% |
| Water | 6% |
| Sugars | 3% |
| Fat | 36% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 5.8% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 3 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 3 |
Typical use: 0.05-0.3% of the total mix (a pinch to lightly aromatize); rarely above 0.5%.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Nutmeg is a flavor accent, not a structural ingredient. Because it is added in fractions of a percent, its sugar (~3g/100g) is negligible, so it contributes effectively zero PAC and POD to the mix and does not shift the serving temperature or sweetness. Its solids are mostly fat, fiber and aromatic oils, which pass through without meaningfully changing total solids at typical doses. Pair it with cinnamon, vanilla, custard (crema), eggnog, pumpkin and chai-style bases. Always fold nutmeg's tiny mass into the flavoring/other-solids line rather than treating it as a sugar or fat driver, and adjust the base recipe with real sugars and stabilizer for texture.
Origin & background
Nutmeg comes from Myristica fragrans, a tree native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia (the historic Spice Islands), where it was the world's only commercial source for centuries. It was so valuable that under the 1667 Treaty of Breda the Dutch ceded Manhattan to the English in exchange for the tiny nutmeg island of Run.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171326/nutrients (USDA FoodData Central, Spices, nutmeg, ground, SR Legacy 02025)
- https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Spices%2C_ground%2C_nutmeg_nutritional_value.html (USDA SR mirror: water 6.4, fat 36.3, protein 5.84, sugars 2.99, fiber 20.8)
- https://www.matvaretabellen.no/en/nutmeg-ground/ (Norwegian national food composition table: fat 36.3, protein 5.8, sugar 3.0, fiber 21.0)
- https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrition-facts/171326/wt1 (USDA-derived: total sugars 3.2, fiber 20.9)