I know I’m not the only one that has gotten an ice cream cone on a hot summer day and regretted not getting a cup two seconds later when it’s melting and running down my arms. But, no worries, scientists may have found a solution to our problem!
Slow Melting Ice Cream!
Researchers from two universities in the United Kingdom named Edinburgh and Dundee discovered that a protein called BsIA can be used to solve our drippy ice-cream dilemma. Bovine serum albumin (BsIA), is a protein found in biofilm thats derived from cows. BsIA can be used as an ingredient to keep everything combined in ice cream making it smoother and allowing it to melt at a slower rate.
Why would we use BsIA?
Biofilm is defined as groups of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other on a surface.”The outer surface of biofilm creates structural stability from a collection of molecules secreted by cells, known as the extracellular matrix. Matrix consists of proteins, polysaccharides and extracellular DNA.” The researchers from the UK said that “BsIA is the protein responsible for creating a hydrophobic coat on the outer surface of the biofilm, which means that it creates an outer layer that repels water like a raincoat.” But, oddly enough because of this “raincoat” feature of BsIA, it allows two substances that would typically repel, to mix. For example, water and oil. It’s this unique binding abilities that make BsIA the perfect alternative of the typical stabilizers used to make ice cream today.
Cait MacPhee, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, told Live Science that, “In ice cream, the important interfaces are between fat/oil and water (which really don’t want to mix), air bubbles and water (the bubbles that want to pop, or the air wants to escape) and the surface of ice crystals,” and, “adding our proteins stabilises all of these, and the combined effect is to slow down the melting.”
This study was published on April 28, 2015 and is still testing its findings. Even though, the UK researchers haven’t actually tasted the BsIA laced ice cream they created some in the lab and according Professor McPhee “have every reason to believe that the texture and firmness are identical to normal ice cream.”
Work Cited
http://www.colgateprofessional.com/patient-education/articles/what-is-biofilm
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34104545
I had no idea that they where able to make slower melting ice cream, that’s incredible. I have heard though that a year or two ago scientists created chocolate that takes several hours to melt even in a hot car. Its very interesting to see how science is affecting the foods we eat, and hopefully making them for the better. Here is a link to an article that talks about and explains the slow melting chocolate. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/non-melting-chocolate_n_2192236.html)
This is great news for us ice cream lovers! The study you mentioned is really interesting, I for one, sure hope that the experiment works and the ice cream is able to be produced. It always frustrated me how quickly ice cream melts on a hot day, which we know is due to heat conduction. If you want to know more about the process, check out this article!
I really appreciate your article. Actually the finding of alternatives for the stabilizer is long been researched by many scientists. This study is the most modern one I have ever saw. However, I still doubt that whether the research can succeed or not for the experiment can be easily affected by many third variables like the whether the alternative will have chemical reaction with other ingredients or not that leads to failure. But I still hope ice cream can melt slower!