Are the days of quick-melting ice creams about to come to an end ? Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 distillated
Anyone who has enjoyed an ice cream cone at the beach while on holiday will be all too familiar with how easily the icy treat tends to melt and run within just a few minutes of being purchased.
Now however researchers from universities in Dundee and Edinburgh may have found a solution to the problem in the form of a special protein that is able to bind the air, fat and water together more effectively so that the ice cream stays in a frozen state for longer when it’s out in the hot sun.
The new recipe is even able to give the ice cream a smoother, more luxurious texture.
“We’re excited by the potential this new ingredient has for improving ice cream, both for consumers and for manufacturers,” said experimental biomolecular physicist Professor Cait MacPhee.
The researchers estimate that ice cream based on the new protein could be available for consumers to purchase in the shops within the next three to five years.
