Scientists from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom have found a way in which eating ice cream can be less sticky in the heated weather of summer by making it melt less quickly. They discovered a protein called BsIA that is usually found in large bacterial communities in structures called biofilm which can be used to keep everything combined in ice cream. It therefore changes some of the properties of ice cream like making it smoother and more resistant to melting. Emulsifiers, small, fat-like molecules that keep oil and water mixed, are used to make ice cream but these scientist replace that with the BsIA protein. The protein creates a hydrophobic coat on the outer surface of the biofilm and the way it's created allows for a stable interaction between substances that usually repel each other like oil and water. In ice cream the important interactions are between oil and water, and air bubbles and water. Therefore making this protein the perfect substitute in ice cream and having the added effect of making it melt less quickly making it more enjoyable for us to eat!
Live science 'No More Sticky Mess! Scientists Develop Slower-Melting Ice Cream' Article
The Mirror's 'Sick of your ice-cream letting too quickly? Scientists might have the answer' Article
Live science 'No More Sticky Mess! Scientists Develop Slower-Melting Ice Cream' Article
The Mirror's 'Sick of your ice-cream letting too quickly? Scientists might have the answer' Article