Particles of aerated ice confection products for frozen ice drinks

A packaged ready to use frozen ice drink product which comprises a container and aerated ice confection particles prepared according to a process comprising:

• preparing an elongated frozen stream of an aerated ice confection;
• freezing the stream cryogenically to a temperature below the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the aerated ice confection to form an amorphous glass-like solid mass that is not sticky and that has minimal surface-adhesive properties;
• comminuting the solid mass to free-flowing aerated ice confection particles;
• exposing the free-flowing aerated ice confection particles to cryogenic freezing in which the particles are subjected to a temperature of −25° C. to −30° C. to obtain hardened free-flowing aerated ice confection particles;
• coating the hardened free-flowing aerated ice confection particles with an aqueous solution of a Tg elevating agent comprising partially enzymatically degraded starch syrup having dextrose equivalents between 1 and 10 and a molecular weight of 5 kD to 15 kD;
• and
• exposing the coated hardened free-flowing aerated ice confection particles to a cryogenic freezing in which the particles are subjected to a temperature of −30° C. to −35° C. to form further hardened free-flowing aerated ice confection particles that have a Tg of −5° C. to −35° C.