US scientists explore no-melt ice cream using fruit compounds
In lab tests, Cameron Wicks, a food scientist at General Mills, mixed cream with varying concentrations of tannic acid and found that higher levels thickened the cream into a gel-like texture.
Years ago, Kanazawa Ice developed ice cream, and even popsicles, that resisted melting under direct heat. (Wikimedia Commons Photo/ Representational)
Cameron Wicks, a food scientist at General Mills, is exploring how antioxidant compounds could help ice cream stay solid in the heat. Her research, which began while she was a student at the University of Wisconsin, focuses on tannic acid, a type of polyphenol, and its potential to slow melting by changing the dessert’s structure.
In lab tests, Wicks mixed cream with varying concentrations of tannic acid and found that higher levels thickened the cream into a gel-like texture that could hold its shape even when inverted.
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Under a microscope, the mixtures showed more distinct fat globules, suggesting that tannic acid interacted with proteins to form a network that kept the fats from merging and running when warmed.
The Japanese origin story
Wicks’ work was inspired by a viral innovation from Japan. Years ago, Kanazawa Ice developed ice cream, and even popsicles, that resisted melting under direct heat.
According to Fox10, the breakthrough came accidentally when a pastry chef was experimenting with a new confection and used a polyphenol liquid extracted from strawberries. The result was unusually stable ice cream, described as tasting like vanilla with a hint of strawberry.
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Traditional stabilisers such as carrageenan and guar gum already slow melting, but once ice cream warms and refreezes, it develops coarse, unpleasant crystals, BBC reports.
The Japanese polyphenol-based method seemed to bypass this problem, keeping the dessert’s structure intact in hot weather. Social media videos showed it surviving heat tests, though the texture eventually shifted toward a rubbery or pudding-like consistency.
Both BBC and Fox10 note that while polyphenols can help ice cream hold its shape, they don’t keep it cold.
Years ago, Kanazawa Ice developed ice cream, and even popsicles, that resisted melting under direct heat. (Wikimedia Commons Photo/ Representational) 
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