A new population balance model for ice recrystallization in ice cream during long-term storage.

A new modelling approach was developed, which couples the population and energy balance models, for describing ice crystal growth and dissolution rates with individual parameters by including the instantaneous dissolution of crystals smaller than a critical size. The aim was to describe ice crystal size evolving during ice cream storage and to determine the limiting process between growth and dissolution.
Comparison between modelling results and experimental measurements for ice crystal size in ice cream stored at temperatures between ─5 and ─18 °C during 104 days shows a good agreement. Simulation results show that ice crystal dissolution controls the recrystallization at the beginning of storage, after which both growth and dissolution rates decrease.

本研究开发了一种全新的建模方法，该方法耦合群体与能量平衡模型（population and energy balance models），通过纳入尺寸小于临界尺寸（critical size）的冰晶的瞬时溶解过程，以个体参数表征冰晶的生长与溶解速率。本研究的目标为描述冰淇淋储存过程中冰晶尺寸的演变规律，并明确冰晶生长与溶解之间的控速过程。
针对在-5℃至-18℃环境下储存104天的冰淇淋样品，其冰晶尺寸的建模结果与实验测量值对比显示，二者具有良好的一致性。模拟结果表明，储存初期冰晶溶解主导了重结晶（recrystallization）过程，此后冰晶的生长与溶解速率均出现下降。