Why do commercial popsicles have a “soft” texture as opposed to the block of ice freezing Crystal Light gives me?

Question

I love my sugar free popsicles but they’re getting more expensive (as is everything else). I got the molds to make homemade popsicles but I’m getting blocks of ice that separates the ice and the flavoring as it melts.

Why does it do that?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Without sugar to impact the melting point, you need things like emulsifiers and thickeners to stop things being solid ice. I learned this when making keto ice cream, lecithins, gums, fatty acids, all things I tested when formulating my recipe.