Slower melting ice cream thanks to protein
By Henk Oosterhoff
28-05-2009
Only one more year of sticky fingers, and fast melting ice cream cones will be a thing of the past in a number of European countries. The European Union has recently approved the use of a special protein which makes ice cream melt at a much slower rate. And the number of calories will be lower as well. The protein has already been approved in the US, Australia and a number of Asian countries. The Anglo-Dutch food company Unilever spent ten years developing the special protein.
Many a European parent will be happy to learn that buying their kid an Ola or Ben & Jerry's ice cream will result in less dirty stains than it used to. The recipe for these ice creams will in future include a protein which reduces the size of ice crystals, which, in turn, affects the structure and the taste of the ice cream and makes it melt at a slower rate.
'Ice structuring protein'
In the Dutch Newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Unilever's marketing manager for the Benelux Joost Houben says: "We can also make the ice cream less fatty, while retaining the same texture. Another option is to put more fruit in to the ice cream without turning it into a solid block of ice".
The protein ISP - ice structuring protein - occurs naturally in plants and fish to counteract the effects of low temperatures, for instance fish which have to stay alive in cold water. Unilever's UK laboratory invested ten years of research in making the protein suitable for human consumption.
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