No one likes those annoying little ice crystals in their ice cream. So, would you be happy to know if there is a way to stop them? Well, then today is your lucky day.
Scientists have found a way to stop ice crystals from growing in ice cream. It is summer and all of us want to cool down with a tub of our favourite dessert. However, we definitely do not enjoy having ice crystals growing all over our ice cream scoops.?
According to the research, the ice crystals are because of the way your home freezer works. Even when the door is shut, the temperature inside the freezer is not constant which means that the smaller ice crystals have time to melt and re-freeze. This further forms larger crystals. The temperature needs to be below -40 degrees Celsius in order to keep the?tiny ice crystals frozen and virtually imperceptible, as per experts.?
Ice cream recipes consist of stabilizers to limit the formation of ice crystals but they are also used to make the finished product less rigid. Ice cream manufacturers use gum extracted from guar or locust beans, or xanthan gum.?
These are additives and are also recommended for amateur bakers who want to make their own ice cream. Stabilizers for ice cream can be easily found in specialist stores.?
Scientists at the University of Tennessee, Tao Wu and his colleagues have developed a cellulose product extracted from processed wood to propose as an alternative to commonly used stabilizers.?
According to this research, cellulose nanocrystals added to a sugar solution effectively mimicked ice cream. After 24 hours, the ice crystals stopped growing. A week after the start of the experiment, they measured no more than 25 micrometres. According to scientists, the use of gums as stabilizers causes crystals to double in size, and they can form in just three days.
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