Scientists Discover the Key to Making Slow Melting Ice Cream

Scientists have discovered a naturally occurring protein that can be used to create ice cream that is more resistant to melting than conventional products. The protein binds together the air, fat and water in ice cream, creating a super-smooth consistency. The new ingredient could enable ice creams to keep frozen for longer in hot weather. It could also prevent gritty ice crystals from forming, ensuring a fine, smooth texture like those of luxury ice creams. The development could allow products to be manufactured with lower levels of saturated fat and fewer calories than at present.

Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee developed a method of producing the new protein which occurs naturally in some foods in friendly bacteria. They estimate that ice cream made with the ingredient could be available within three to five years. The protein works by adhering to fat droplets and air bubbles, making them more stable in a mixture. Using the ingredient could offer significant advantages for ice cream makers. It can be processed without loss of performance, and can be produced from sustainable raw materials. Manufacturers could also benefit from a reduced need to deep freeze their product, as the ingredient would keep ice cream frozen for longer. The supply chain would also be eased by a reduced need to keep the product very cold throughout delivery and merchandising.

The protein, known as BslA, was developed with support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Professor Cait MacPhee, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy, who led the project, said: “We’re excited by the potential this new ingredient has for improving ice cream, both for consumers and for manufacturers.” Dr Nicola Stanley-Wall, of the University of Dundee, said: “It has been fun working on the applied use of a protein that was initially identified due to its practical purpose in bacteria.” The protein in focus is BsIA. In making ice cream, it works by binding together the air, fat and water. Because of BsIA, the team replaced some of the fat molecules which are used to stabilize oil and water mixtures, cutting the fat content.

To make the ice cream, people usually use emulsifiers, which are small molecules that help unmixable ingredients stay together. “In ice cream, the important interfaces are between fat, oil, air bubbles, water and the surface of ice crystals,” Cait MacPhee, a professor of biological physics at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, stated. By adding the BslA proteins, the interactions between water, bubbles, and ice crystals, as well as the interactions between water and fat/oil, are stabilized, resulting in a slow melting effect, MacPhee added.

MacPhee says that the BslA protein can be used in other things as well. For instance, salad dressings require mixing water and oil, so the BsIA protein could replace the mustard which is normally used in some salad dressings as an emulsifier. Researchers want to commercialize the production of BsIA ice cream, because after testing the product they saw that texture wise it was identical to regular ice cream, as well as in terms of firmness. Another plus will interest weight-watchers, the development could allow for products to be made with lower levels of saturated fat and fewer calories. For example, the protein could be used in chocolate mousse and mayonnaise to help reduce the calories.

Yes, the ice cream will melt eventually but University of Edinburgh’s Prof. Cait MacPhee said in a BBC News report on Monday that hopefully by keeping it stable for longer, “it will stop the drips.” She is from the University of Edinburgh’s school of physics and astronomy, and she led the project. She told BBC Radio 5 live, “This is a natural protein already in the food chain. It’s already used to ferment some foods so it’s a natural product rather than being a ‘Frankenstein’ food.”

Matthew Humphries in Geek.com spelled out what this could mean if their research were to reach manufacturing stage. “For manufacturers it’s a fantastic find. It can be added to ice cream without altering the taste or mouth feel, it also means the finished ice cream can be stored at slightly higher (yet still very cold) temperatures, which will save on energy costs. The protein can also reduce the level of saturated fat required. As long as the taste isn’t affected by that, it means the ice cream you love will contain less calories.”

The ice cream news is yet another example of why researchers are keenly interested in the behavior of proteins as MacPhee said in discussing her research interests “the molecules that are responsible for the vast majority of functions in living organisms.” She noted that self-assembly of proteins underpins the texture of foodstuffs including egg, meat and milk products. “It is understanding this process of self-assembly to prevent or reverse disease, or to drive the development of new materials and foodstuffs ,that forms the focus of my research efforts,” she stated.

 

For more information please visit: www.phys.org

thebslaprote