Scientists discover how to make ice cream last longer

A new protein can keep ice cream frozen for longer even in hot weather, scientists in Scotland say. Ice cream lovers can take their sweet time enjoying this popular dessert, as researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee have developed an ingredient that makes ice cream melt slower than usual.

The team created a firmer and longer-lasting version of ice cream using a naturally occurring protein, known as BsIA, from friendly bacteria. The new protein, they say, works as it binds together air, fat and water to become more stable in nature.

In addition to slowing down the melting process, the newly discovered ingredient also stops the formation of grainy ice crystals, achieving a finer, smoother texture similar to what is being offered by expensive ice cream brands.

Health-conscious individuals are also poised to benefit from this latest development, since it could also be used to make products with lower levels of saturated fat, translating to fewer calories. The longer-lasting ice cream could be available for sale in three to five years, according to the scientists.

“We’re excited by the potential this new ingredient has for improving ice-cream, for consumers and for manufacturers,” says Professor Cait MacPhee of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy. MacPhee led the project, with support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

The team believes that manufacturers could take advantage of this new ingredient as it can be produced from sustainable raw materials. “It has been fun working on the applied use of a protein that was initially identified due to its practical purpose in bacteria,” says Dr Nicola Stanley-Wall of the University of Dundee.

This is not the first time that longer-lasting ice cream made news. In July 2014, an ice cream sandwich bought from Walmart in Cincinnati, Ohio, generated media attention when it did not fully melt even after a customer left it outside for 12 hours.

To address safety issues that arose with the incident, Walmart offered an explanation to Cincinnati news station WCPO. “Ice cream melts based on the ingredients including cream. Ice cream with more cream will generally melt at a slower rate, which is the case with our Great Value ice cream sandwiches,” a Walmart representative said.

In an article published by the Washington Post, a food chemist at Virginia Tech confirmed that fat can affect the rate at which an ice cream product will melt. According to Sean O'Keefe, less fat and more water slows down ice cream’s melting time.

It was also discovered that the Walmart ice cream, unlike other popular brands, also uses ingredients guar gum and cellulose gum that act as stabilizers, adding resistence to melting in ice cream.

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