Ice Cold Temptation

Summer, sun, sunshine – what tastes better than a delicious cool ice cream! Every German treats himself to an average of 8 liters of ice cream a year. Although there are more and more fancy ice cream flavors like chili, cheese or cookies, the classics vanilla, chocolate, strawberry are still a hit. Sorbets and fruit ice cream are becoming increasingly popular. This year, fruit varieties such as melon, mango, currant and apricot are high in demand.

Energy content of ice cream

Due to the growing number of diet-conscious consumers, reduced-sugar and reduced-fat products are also increasingly landing in ice cream freezers. Low-calorie ice cream must contain 30% less energy than a comparable product. An ice cream is low in fat if the fat content is no more than 3 g/100 g ice cream.

However, those who want to enjoy their ice cream in a calorie-conscious way do not necessarily have to buy light variants. The German Nutrition Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e. V. (DGE) says: “In small quantities and consciously enjoyed as a dessert, ice cream does not necessarily have to be a calorie bomb.” The energy content varies considerably depending on the type of ice cream, as ice cream has a high sugar and usually also fat content.

Fruit ice cream is generally lower in calories than milk ice cream: a small portion of vanilla cream ice cream with chocolate sauce and cream weighs down the calorie account with about 420 calories, while a fruit ice cream sundae with cream and brittle adds about 260 calories.

What’s in ice cream?

The basic ingredients for ice cream are still milk and milk products such as cream and butter, various types of sugar, and fruit if necessary. Some varieties are enhanced with chocolate, nuts or spices. Depending on the variety, the milk, fat and sugar content of ready-made ice cream varies considerably. Average energy content of various types and preparations of ice cream per serving (= scoop à 75 g)

Ice cream type Energy content per scoop (kcal)
Diet ice cream 85
Lemon sorbet 90
Fruit ice cream 105
Buttermilk or yogurt ice cream with fruit 115
Milk ice cream (e.g. strawberry, vanilla) 150
Black Forest Cherry Ice Cream 160
Bourbon vanilla ice cream 165
Milk ice cream (chocolate) 170

Facts and figures about ice

The first hand-operated ice cream machine was developed in the USA in 1843. In Germany, Carl von Linde invented the ice cream machine in 1881 – but the industrial production of ice cream could not establish itself until after the Second World War.

Today, the German market for industrially produced branded ice cream is approximately 538 million liters.