Dairy & Eggs
UHT Cream 17% in gelato
UHT cream at 17% milkfat is a single/light-style sterilized dairy cream. In gelato it is a primary butterfat source that also carries milk plasma (water, lactose, protein), raising fat and richness while contributing modest anti-freezing power from its lactose.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 24% |
| Water | 76% |
| Sugars | 0% |
| Fat | 17% |
| MSNF | 7% |
| Protein | 2.7% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 0.59 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 3.7 |
Typical use: 5-25% of the mix
Balance uht cream 17% in a real recipe
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Use 17% cream to lift recipe fat (typically toward 6-12% in the finished mix) without the waxy, hard mouthfeel that pure butter or high-fat double cream can add, because its higher plasma content brings water and milk solids along with the fat. Fat coats ice crystals and air cells, giving a smoother, denser, slower-melting gelato and rounding flavor. Its PAC is low (about 3.7 per 100 g, from lactose) and its POD is negligible (about 0.59), so it barely sweetens and only mildly softens the frozen texture; the lactose still counts toward total MSNF, so watch the MSNF ceiling (~10-11% of mix) to avoid sandiness. Because roughly three-quarters of it is water, balance that water against your sugars and total solids.
Origin & background
Cream separation is ancient, but shelf-stable cream depends on Ultra-High-Temperature (UHT) processing, which heats the product to roughly 135-150 C for 2-5 seconds to achieve commercial sterility. Combined with aseptic carton packaging commercialized by Tetra Pak from 1961, UHT let cream be stored unrefrigerated for months, making standardized 17% cream widely available to gelato makers.