Defining Quality in Artisan Gelato
The pursuit of food quality is a widespread trend: everyone wants it, everyone seeks it, yet not everyone knows how to define or recognize it. In the artisan gelato sector, quality can be understood in a holistic way — encompassing food safety, raw material excellence, organoleptic (sensory) properties, and nutritional value.
Food Safety as the Foundation
Food safety is the non-negotiable basis of quality. It is also closely linked to environmental regulations. The European Commission’s food safety policy aims “to ensure a high level of human health protection and consumer interests regarding food, considering diversity including traditional products, while ensuring the efficient functioning of the internal market” (White Paper on Food Safety, Brussels, 12.1.2000 COM (1999) 719 final).
An artisan gelato maker guarantees product safety through passion and expertise, leveraging modern technologies that allow constant microbiological monitoring — all without compromising the gelato’s natural taste and quality.
Premium Raw Ingredients
Like all great foods, artisan gelato’s quality depends largely on the ingredients. The better and more noble the raw materials, the higher the quality of the finished product. Moreover, it is essential that these ingredients are perfectly balanced, which is why correct base mix formulation is crucial.
Artisan gelato must be rich and creamy yet soft, resistant to melting, and have a well-defined flavor and color.
Organoleptic Quality: A Sensory Experience
Organoleptic quality refers to the sensory analysis performed by our senses, integrating all facets that define a food’s overall quality. The pleasure derived from food is judged based on color, aroma, flavor, and texture. While subjective and influenced by psychological and cultural factors, these sensory attributes are key.
Tasting artisan gelato is primarily an experience of pleasure. The consumer’s perception of the product — which is greatly influenced by presentation and appearance — often becomes even more important than the product itself. The way the gelato looks instantly affects perceived quality, contributing significantly to the total quality experience (source: Vademecum del giovane gelatiere artigiano, Comitato Gelatieri Campani).
Nutritional Quality: What You Bring to Your Body
The nutritional power of food represents the totality of substances it provides to our body. Food labels, by law, display the amounts of proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates (sugars), and other nutritional elements essential to our metabolism. These nutrients fulfill constructive (building), energetic, and regulatory (protective) functions necessary for our health.
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