icecreamconefeat

Early ice cream production methods date all the way back to B.C. times, and even today people are still coming up with new and improved ways to enjoy this tasty treat. In Japan, this sometimes means inventing weird ice cream flavors or combining it with other popular foods like ramen. In fact, some Japanese people even believe you can learn a thing or two about another person’s personality by watching how they eat their ice cream.

But Japan isn’t the only country with a fondness for ice cream. The United Kingdom, for example, recently ranked in as one of the top 10 ice cream-consuming countries in the world. Not only do people in the  U.K. enjoy satisfying their sweet tooth, they’re also coming up with ways to savor their ice cream longer, as a result of new research by two Scottish universities.

Researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee have discovered a way to keep ice cream from melting so quickly at higher temperatures and maintaining a consistent texture. By using a special protein they developed, called BslA, they’ve created a pudding formula that resembles regular ice cream by mixing it with air, fat, and water.

This video shows how the protein forms and how it works:

Although some anti-GMO advocates might not see this as a welcome change to traditional ice cream manufacturing methods, for the health-conscious it has the potential to cut calories and saturated fat.

Additionally, if the protein can be produced without using cows or other animals, it makes us wonder if more ice cream options for vegans and people diagnosed as lactose intolerant might be on the horizon.

The only caveat is that according to the research team we may have to wait up to five years before it hits the market, but when it does we look forward to trying it out.

Source: The Guardian
Top image: iwallhd.com