Scientists Create Slower-Melting Ice Cream

An ice cream cone is a welcome treat on a hot summer day, but it can make your hands sticky when it melts. Scientists have found a solution to that messy problem.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom found that a protein called BsIA can keep the ingredients in ice cream combined while making the texture smoother and slowing down the rate at which it melts.

BsIA is normally found in large bacterial communities in biofilm structures, which are clusters of microorganisms that clump together on a surface. The outer structure of a biofilm gets its structural stability from the extracellular matrix, a collection of molecules that are secreted by the cells. The matrix is made up of proteins, polysaccharides, and extracellular DNA.

BsIA creates a hydrophobic coat on the biofilm’s outer surface that repels water. It also creates a stable interaction in which two substances that would normally repel each other, such as oil and water, stay together. This means that the protein can be used in place of emulsifiers, the small, fat-like molecules that are usually used to keep oil and water mixed in ice cream. The protein stabilizes the interfaces between fat or oil and water, between air bubbles and water, and between the surfaces of ice crystals. This slows down the melting process.

The researchers say BsIA could have other uses. It could be added to any product in which oil and water need to stay mixed, such as salad dressing, soufflés, or mousses.

The researchers created some ice cream with BsIA in their lab and believe its texture and firmness are identical to those of regular ice cream. They want to market their ice cream as a commercial venture and are looking for other uses for the protein.

The study was published on April 28 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.