Ice cream mystique surrounds Penn State short course

Resource, Mar 2001

All kinds of people want to go into business for themselves. The Penn State ice cream short course often attracts entrepreneurs for its special ice cream mystique.

Now entering its 109th year, the course continues as the nation's oldest, best-known and largest educational program dedicated to the science and technology of ice cream. This year's seminar is directed by Bob Roberts, associate professor of food science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Roberts says attendees will get to see the mystique in action.

"It's really been an education for me to see just how much people enjoy the ice cream business," he says. "I've always enjoyed it from the science and technology side, but I'm amazed by how much people like to work with ice cream. They say everyone smiles when they are around ice cream, and that's what seems to attract people to this business. They're also able to indulge their creative side with new flavors and textures."

The program instructs professionals in all aspects of commercial ice cream manufacture, including ingredients and flavors, freezing, hardening, storage and distribution. This year's course also features lessons on common defects in ice cream, evaluation of market samples and a tour of the university creamery operations.

The course explores systems for making better quality frozen desserts, including microbiology and quality testing, nutrition and additives, and hazard analysis at critical control points techniques. Roberts says the course, while highly technical, has something for everyone.

"What a student takes away from the course depends on what they start with," he explains. "The mom-and-pop operator who wants to open a shop will learn a lot about the industry - how products are formulated and their functional properties. People in production may glean a better understanding of why their efforts result in a good or poor finished product. People in research and development will get new ideas on how ingredients interact."

"If you want to learn about the technical side of ice cream manufacture, then this course can't be beat," Roberts says.

For more information, contact Roberts at 814-863-2959.