Ice cream production apparatus and method of controlling an ice cream production apparatus

Method for controlling an ice cream production apparatus, said ice cream production apparatus comprises a control unit, a freezer, a freezer outlet pump and a piping system provided from the freezer to one or more ice cream outlet nozzles of one or more filling or extrusion lines downstream the freezer, wherein said method comprises controlling, by the control unit, the ice cream production apparatus to assume at least two operational modes, wherein

• a first operational mode is a production mode comprising the steps of continuously freezing the ice cream in the freezer such that the ice cream obtains a production viscosity value, and pumping, with the freezer outlet pump, the ice cream into the piping system at a production outlet flow, and
• a second operational mode is a pre-production mode comprising the steps of freezing the ice cream in the freezer such that the ice cream obtains a pre-production viscosity value being equal to or higher than the production viscosity value, and pumping, with the freezer outlet pump, the ice cream into the piping system, without recirculating the ice cream to the freezer, at a pre-production outlet flow being smaller than the production outlet flow, wherein
• the method comprising controlling the ice cream production apparatus to assume the pre-production mode in order to cool the piping system and the one or more ice cream outlet nozzles before operating the ice cream production apparatus in the production mode.