A More Healthful Ice Cream That Won’t Melt as Fast

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The good news is that ice cream might never again melt away before you can eat it on a hot afternoon.

The bad news is that it could be three to five years before this ice cream — made with a protein that makes it more resistant to melting — is available in stores.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee, both in Scotland, discovered the protein. It’s known as BslA and occurs naturally.

BslA binds together the air, fat and water in ice cream, which creates a “super-smooth” consistency, according to a news release from the University of Edinburgh. It could help ice creams stay frozen for longer in hot weather, preventing dripping.

It could also be made with less saturated fat and calories than today’s ice cream.

Cait MacPhee, a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh who headed up the cool project, explains to the BBC:

“By using this protein we’re replacing some of the fat molecules that are currently used to stabilize these oil and water mixtures so it can reduce the fat content, but it shouldn’t taste any different.”

Neither the news release nor the BBC article state how much this ice cream of the future might cost.

Would you be willing to pay extra for this ice cream? Let us know what you think below or on Facebook.

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