Will the Ice of the Future Melt? Scientists Add a Mysterious Element – Wprost

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created ice cream that doesn’t melt. As Cameron Weeks, a doctoral student in the School of Food Science, explains, the mysterious compound that keeps ice cream in check is polyphenols. These are plant compounds that, when added to frozen desserts, prevent them from turning into a soggy mess.

However, there is a catch. Ice cream keeps its shape for a certain amount of time.

— Adding polyphenols to ice cream can produce a product that keeps its shape for more than four hours at room temperature. This allows you to make ice cream that doesn’t melt, the scientist said in a university press release.

The secret is polyphenols.

How does it work? Polyphenols don’t stop ice cream from melting, but they thicken the sweet mixture by interacting with the fats and proteins in the cream. This is why ice cream is able to hold its shape.

Polyphenols can be found, for example, in tea. They are also found in grapes, berries, olive oil, nuts, grains, cocoa, yerba mate, some vegetables (especially legumes) and fruits. They are beneficial for overall health – they are natural antioxidants that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. They also have an antioxidant effect.

Scientists are conducting further research to determine the exact amount of polyphenols that, when added to ice cream, will be able to maintain its shape without changing its taste.

“Ice cream is a very complex system,” Cameron Weeks said in a press release. “By being able to understand all the science behind it, you can make food products better and more sustainable, and you can create better systems to feed the world.”

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