There’s nothing quite like an ice cream cone on a hot day. However, if you don’t chow down fast enough what was once a fun treat can end up a sticky mess all over your hands. Could a U.S. candy company be working to solve that problem?
According to a LinkedIn post from consultant Jasper Sturtewagen cited by VegNews, Mars, Incorporated (makers of candy like Milky Way and M&Ms, as well as Dove ice cream bars) has filed a patent for “ice cream that refuses to melt,” made from urad bean, also known as black gram lentils. These are a rich source of protein, per the 2022 book “Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in Metabolic and Non-Communicable Diseases” and are often used in Indian cuisine as a feature of warm dishes.
“Plant-based frozen desserts often struggle with a dense, icy texture,” said Sturtewagen’s post. He explained that the “specific proteins and carbohydrates in these lentils create highly stable foams under cold conditions.”
Sturtewagen added that the ice cream reportedly retains its shape for at least two hours at room temperature. Since it takes longer to melt than traditional ice cream, he said the product could be a “massive commercial win.”
There is a “known problem” with commercial ice cream transportation due to its tendency to melt, the BBC noted in an article last year that mentioned another company that developed a no-melt ice cream product, Japan-based Kanazawa. If ice cream heats up in transit and gets re-frozen, “chunky, unpleasant crystals” can result, the BBC said.
A lot of commercial ice cream recipes call for stabilizers, like seaweed-based carrageen and guar gum from guar seeds to address this issue. Kanazawa’s scientists decided to pump its product with a class of antioxidant molecules found in many fruits called polyphenols to make it melt-free.
Cameron Wicks, a food scientist who studied at the University of Wisconsin and who now works at food producer General Mills, did her own experiments making polyphenol-loaded ice cream to try to recreate the Kanazawa product. She used a polyphenol called tannic acid that is found in some fruits and vegetables.
While Wicks was able to create an ice cream that didn’t quite melt – she described the polyphenol trick as acting like as chemical support hose for the ice cream – its texture changed and it did not stay cold. According to the BBC, it developed a “pudding-like” texture as the hours passed.
VegNews noted that odd textures can turn people off, even when faced with a miracle like non-melting ice cream.
“Just look at the reactions to The Hershey Company’s seemingly new ‘unmeltable’ chocolate,” it said. “Recently, a viral video showed a TikTok creator holding up a Hershey’s chocolate bar to the camera.”
Mars, Incorporated’s new non-melt ice cream has a “creamier mouthfeel” than other ice cream, according to Sturtewagen’s post.
