March 19, 2026

When One Variable Changes Everything

A scale-up delay transformed a promising low-sugar ice cream into a grainy failure, underscoring how minor process changes can dramatically impact product quality at first production.

Renee Leber

Food Technology Magazine

Here’s a real-world example of why even small changes between development and first production matter. During benchtop testing, a new low-sugar ice cream flavor was transferred immediately into a deep freezer after it was developed. Because it was cooled almost instantly, the product remained smooth and showed no noticeable ice crystal formation, performing very similarly to the original full-sugar version. Based on those results, the formula was approved to move forward to first production.

During the first production run, however, the process introduced a key difference. Due to the way the production line was scheduled that day, the ice cream …

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Authors

Renee Leber Technical Services Manager

Renee Leber, technical services manager at the Institute of Food Technologists, has a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America and a bachelor’s in food science and technology from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining IFT, Leber worked in R&D and product development for U.S. Foods, Freshway Foods, and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream (rleber@ift.org).