Dairy & Eggs
Whole Milk Powder (Premium) in gelato
Whole milk powder (WMP) is spray-dried whole milk delivering roughly 27% milkfat, 26% protein and 38% lactose in a shelf-stable powder. In gelato it is a concentrated source of both fat and milk solids-non-fat (MSNF), used to enrich body, boost creaminess and fine-tune the freezing curve without adding water.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 98% |
| Water | 2% |
| Sugars | 0% |
| Fat | 27% |
| MSNF | 71% |
| Protein | 26% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 6.1 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 38 |
Typical use: Typically 3-8% of the total mix (occasionally up to ~10% in low-fat or high-solids formulas).
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
WMP raises both fat and MSNF simultaneously, so it enriches texture while its ~38% lactose contributes meaningfully to the freezing point. Per 100 g of powder it adds about 38 PAC and only ~6 POD, because lactose is only ~16% as sweet as sucrose: it firms up the mix's anti-freezing capacity and lowers scooping temperature while barely affecting sweetness. Keep total MSNF in the finished mix below ~10-12%; above ~13% lactose can crystallise in storage and cause a sandy, gritty defect. Use it to build a milk base when fresh milk alone cannot reach target solids.
Origin & background
Industrial roller-dried milk powder emerged in the mid-19th century, but the modern spray-drying process that preserves flavour and solubility was patented and commercialised in the early 1900s. The American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) still publishes the reference compositional standard for whole milk powder, specifying 26.0-42.0% milkfat and a maximum 4.5% moisture.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, "Milk, dry, whole, without added vitamin D" (FDC ID 173454): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173454/nutrients — water 2.47 g, protein 26.32 g, total fat 26.71 g, carbohydrate/total sugars (lactose) 38.42 g, ash ~6.08 g per 100 g
- American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI), Whole Milk Powder standard: https://adpi.org/ingredient-resources/whole-milk-powder/ — milkfat 26.0-42.0%, moisture 4.5% max, protein 34% min on SNF basis
- Gelatologist, "What PAC Is, and How to Calculate It" (Medium): https://medium.com/@gelatologist/what-pac-is-and-how-to-calculate-it-2f1ade1bd5df — MSNF ~50% lactose; lactose POD ~0.16 of sucrose (supporting reference)
- Scoopulator ingredient database, Whole Milk Powder: https://scoopulator.app/ingredients/user-whole-milk-powder-800cbe — 2.5% water, 26.7% fat, 38.4% sugars (supporting reference)