Ice cream that does NATTO melt

By on May 22, 2017

Parents can now say adieu to dripping ice cream cones because scientists at Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee in Scotland have finally cracked the code to creating a firmer, slower-melting ice cream by using a special protein found in ‘natto’.

Yes, folks, the mighty natto reigns supreme in the ice cream world.  ‘Natto’ is the sticky, slimey fermented soy beans most Japanese people love to eat but which some non-Japanese people prefer  not to for its pungent smell and flavor.  Scientists at Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee discovered that by using the protein called BsIA in natto beans, ice cream can actually stay firm longer than normal.

The slimey properties of the protein holds together the air, fat and water in ice cream which makes this all-natural protein a good replacement for fat molecules currently used to balance these oil and water mixtures, helping to reduce the fat content without affecting the taste in ice cream.

 

 

About Ted Tanaka