Summer, which consists of unbearable heat, is best solved with ice cream. However, the blistering sun and freshly-scooped ice cream do not get along. You race to finish your treat before it decides to run down your arm in a melted, warm soup fashion. This problem may soon cease to exist with the discovery of melt-resistant ice cream.
Melt-resistant ice cream, which allows you to enjoy hot weather and savor your dessert, was developed by researchers in Japan. Science, you’ve done it again.
Japan, a country constantly developing the latest technologies and innovations, is no amateur in the food world. With everything from the country’s classic ramen, zero-calorie water cake, fluffy hot cakes and (my favorite) the world’s best sushi, Japanese citizens clearly take food very seriously.
This time, which led to the making of melt-resistant ice cream, involved science, serendipity and some bad strawberries. Yes, you heard me right. Unfortunately, the accidental discovery does not involve the happiest of background stories.
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and consequential tsunami that spiked a magnitude of 9.1—the largest ever recorded in Japan—the country suffered from more than just a few adverse repercussions. Many lives were lost, towns were wiped out, nuclear plants suffered accidents, and it undoubtedly affected the land and its crops like strawberries.
With damaged strawberries, farmers couldn’t sell their crops as produce. The Biotherapy Development Research Center Co. (based in Kanazawa), wanted to help these farmers. So, the research center asked pastry chefs to create a confection using the extract from the strawberries instead.
While experimenting, the chefs found that the extract caused dairy cream to seize up. This was apparently due to polyphenol, a compound in the extract that binds fat and water droplets together, which makes the cream more difficult to melt.
This accidental discovery caused researchers to use the cream to design an ice cream that doesn’t melt as easily. Not convinced? According to The Asahi Shimbun, a daily Japanese newspaper, a customer reported that they found the ice cream unchanged even after five minutes under a blistering sun.
Giving a first-person review of the popsicle is ideal, however, this innovative treat is not available in the United States (yet). Nor do I have the resources to fly halfway across the world to sample it. But, if any of you happen to find yourselves in Kanazawa, Tokyo or Osaka, make sure to try some melt-resistant ice cream. What a time to be alive.