Ice Cream Just Got Even Better

As summer comes to a close, there are some things I will miss and some things I won’t. For example, I will not miss feeling hot all the time, the increase in my laundry, or sticky ice cream fingers (my personal pet peeve). So today, when I read that Scottish researchers had found a way to make ice cream melt more slowly, my ears pricked right up. It seems that scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee just discovered a naturally occurring protein, Protein Bs1A. According to a statement issued by the University of Edinburgh, this protein “binds together air, fat, and water in ice cream,” making it melt slower. An added bonus for manufacturers is that the protein also makes the consistency of ice cream more smooth. Why does that matter? It means that manufacturers could make ice cream with fewer calories and less saturated fat. Do I smell a store-brand paleo ice cream on the horizon? (Please, no — that really would be too much.) Interestingly, this protein has much bigger implications than non-sticky fingers: As The Washington Post points out, it could radically change ice cream production and transportation for the better. If ice cream melts less quickly, it would take less energy to produce and less refrigeration to ship. Sounds like a win all around!