Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum ice cream are undergoing a secret new recipe revolution to prevent them from melting at higher temperatures.
The goal is to help the cold treats hold longer in warmer conditions as part of a drive to save energy and reduce the brand owner’s carbon footprint.
British consumer giant Unilever hasn’t revealed exactly how it will make the new ice cream, but experts think the answer will likely lie in using more starch or cutting out some of the sugar.
The tricky problem with the latter, however, is that small changes to an ice cream’s formula can compromise the delicate balance between texture and sweetness.
The aim of the ambitious experiment is to find a formula that retains the flavour, firmness and ‘mouthfeel’ of each Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum product at higher temperatures.
Revolution: Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum ice cream undergo a secret new recipe revolution to prevent them from melting at higher temperatures
Unilever scientists want to create a new recipe for Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum ice cream to prevent them from melting at higher temperatures. Experts say there are probably two options: reduce the sugar in the ice cream or add some modified starch
If the company can solve the riddle, it hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of its freezers in stores around the world by as much as 30 percent.
Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum ice creams are currently stored at -18C, but Unilever wants to keep it at -12C.
Dr. Edward Breeds, a senior lecturer in physics at Nottingham Trent University, told MailOnline that the idea was possible “by carefully selecting the ingredients.”
He said, “Adjusting the balance of sugars, starches and other contributors (such as flavors and colors) would probably be the way forward to meet this challenge initially.”
The reason it’s soft and scoopable at sub-zero temperatures is because sugar lowers the freezing temperature of the water they’re dissolved in, explains an expert at the University of Guelph in Canada.
Professor Douglas Goff, who teaches courses on ice cream, explained the times: ‘What controls the amount of ice cream at a given temperature (hence the hardness) is how much sugars and lactose are dissolved in the water from the milk solids.
“Since sugars don’t dissolve in ice, if there’s less water there’s more sugar dissolved in it, so it stays thawed until the temperature is lowered a bit more.”
He added, “So if your goal is to make harder ice cream, you just use less sugar.” Of course now you need to rebalance the sweetness.”
That’s one option, but co-founder of food development experts Bingham & Jones says there would be another way.
David Jones added that the key to stopping ice melting at higher temperatures would be to “hold the water.”
“The way to do that would be with some kind of modified starch or gum that would wrap around the water and fat and give it stability,” he said. the Telegraph.
“It’s all about stability.”
Mr Jones said the benefit of doing this, rather than trying to take out sugar, is that the starch wouldn’t necessarily change the taste of the ice cream, as most of them are soluble and do not affect the taste.
He explained that adding starch could potentially increase production costs, but this could be offset by savings in energy costs.
Unilever has been working on the idea for about ten years.
Lately it’s been a trial warmer freezers in Germany, and will soon start new tests of its new recipes in Indonesia.
Goal: The aim is to help the cold treats stay firm longer in warmer conditions as part of a drive to save energy and reduce the carbon footprint of the brand’s owner, Unilever
View: British consumer giant Unilever hasn’t disclosed exactly how it will make the new ice cream, but experts think the answer will likely lie in using more starch or cutting out some of the sugar
The German study was designed to discover which ice creams may need reformulation, while the Indonesian tests will include melting point observations and taste testing of the new formulations.
Andrew Sztehlo, the company’s chief research and development officer, told the Wall Street Journal: ‘When my boss initially said, “Why don’t we just do this?” I said, “You’re crazy, it’s just not possible.”‘
If successful, Unilever is considering sharing the technology with other brands whose products are stored in its freezers.
This is because a stumbling block to the company’s vision is that many retailers use their freezers to also store other brands of ice cream, which can lead to melting problems.
Unilever has maintained that it is not trying to force competitors out of the market, which is why it wants to share any new formula it comes up with.
This way other companies can participate in the energy saving efforts.
