Making ice cream that melts easily so that stores can use less energy to power their gigantic freezers is the most unlikely strategy.
Unilever, the world's largest ice cream producer, is working on a solution. Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Magnum, Cornetto, and Popsicle are among the most famous ice cream brands.
The company is currently testing new ice cream recipes that would melt at a higher temperature than the standard zero degrees Fahrenheit. According to them, storing ice cream at 10 degrees Fahrenheit would save energy by as much as 20% to 30% per freezer.
According to the study, keeping ice cream at ten degrees instead of zero will reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions by about 20% to 30% per freezer.
The move to create ice cream that won't melt at higher temperatures does have an impact on the products that consumers know and love, as well as its own set of issues, according to a WSJ article.
"Unilever has had to modify some of its ice creams to ensure that they can withstand higher temperatures without melting, losing structural integrity, or preserving what the company calls their distinctive mouthfeel," according to Andrew Sztehlo, the head of Unilever's ice cream division's research and development division. Other ingredients such as wafer cones can become soggy in warmer temperatures."
If you like ice cream, you'll know that there are certain varieties that do not melt as expected – think of Turkish ice cream, which acts like a non-newtonian device, with vendors stretching it and playing with it to entice pedestrians on the street. Salep is a rare orchid root that is added to Turkish ice cream.
Although salep is a rare and costly ingredient, other food thickening gums and gelling agents, such as glucomannan, guar gum, and tara gum, might soon be employed even more in ice cream recipes.
Unilever conducted a pilot study in Germany, and is now doing further testing in Indonesia. However, the company said it intends to continue testing until at least 15 years from now.
Also see: Lickable TV's Scientist Introduces Electric Chopsticks That Enhance the Taste of Salt
