People of all ages enjoy ice cream and the delight it brings. But summer heat can quickly melt the frozen treat and cut the enjoyment short. Have you ever wondered if ice cream could stay frozen longer? Food scientists in New Mexico are researching ways to slow the melting process.
Food science professor Sergio Martinez-Monteagudo and his team at New Mexico State University are studying ways to keep ice cream frozen longer. They are modifying certain proteins already found in the dessert to create stronger bonds with water molecules. They say that slows down the melting process, according to KOB 4.
Martinez-Monteagudo said the process “technically” works. However, it does not always produce an appetizing final product.
“It looks amazing and it tastes good and all that but that by itself generates more complications because it’s a lot more stronger. It’s like a gel,” he said. “It’s a more rigid structure that some consumers might look like, ‘Huh, this looks weird.’”
Martinez-Monteagudo said ice cream brand Blue Bunny is funding part of the research. He added that nearly a dozen companies have expressed interest in his research into ice cream factory efficiency.
He said manufacturers waste close to five gallons of ice cream for every pound that reaches grocery store shelves. Factories generate much of the waste when they stop the machines to switch flavors.
Martinez-Monteagudo said his team is exploring ways to salvage and recycle the usable portions.
“We’re working toward the implementation of the technology where we recover the fat from the waste and purify that fat and put it back into ice cream. That, to me, is the one that is creating a lot more momentum with industry,” he said.
Martinez-Monteagudo said his team occasionally develops new ice cream flavors alongside its research. They have created a biscotti pecan ice cream for the NMSU president and a tequila-flavored ice cream.
