Ice Creams Bloated Secret

If your stomach aches every time you eat ice cream, maybe it’s not because of the dairy. We know what you’re thinking, “What else could it be from?” Well, you may be shocked to find that dairy is neither the most important ingredient nor the most abundant ingredient in ice cream. In fact, one of the most crucial ingredients in the mix is actually tasteless, odorless, and weightless. That’s right, it’s air. This is ice cream’s bloated secret.

Airy Beginnings – There has always been air in ice cream, without it, the treat would be hard as ice. In the 1950s, a British research team discovered that a larger amount of air resulted in softer ice cream — a discovery that led to the invention of soft serve. Although we owe it to this team of ice cream scientist who stumbled upon a way to make soft serve, we must remember that with great power also comes great responsibility.

Marketing of Air – It wasn’t long until ice cream suppliers realized the benefits of adding more air to their mixes. Not only was the public demanding soft serve, but more air meant that they could scale back on other ingredients. Put simply, soft serve is highly profitable. Companies began experimenting with air: how much could they pump into the dessert before angering consumers? It wasn’t long until they realized that the more air they put in ice cream, the lighter and fluffier it became. Add too much air, and the treat becomes diluted of taste.

Regulations – In order to keep air from replacing the yummy ingredients in ice cream, most countries now have regulations to control how much air is added. In the United States, the maximum amount of air is set at 50 percent volume. These regulations protect the consumer – would you be okay paying for a dessert that is mostly air? Unfortunately, suppliers don’t advertise how much air is contained in each mix. In order to find out how much air you’re actually paying for, look for brands marked, “premium.” A Premium brand uses less air in its mixes than cheaper brands. This is why Premium ice cream costs so much. Next time you’re at the store, compare a cheap gallon of ice cream to a premium gallon. Can you feel the weight difference?

Without high concentrations of air, soft serve couldn’t exist. At the same time, too much air can leave your taste buds unsatisfied. How bloated is the ice cream you’ve been eating?