Never again will we have to deal with sticky, dripping and melting ice. Researchers have been able to solve this problem.
In their study, they discovered that small cellulose fibers extracted from banana trees can be used in ice cream to slow down melting and extend shelf life. Banana extracts can also be used as an alternative to the fats used to make ice cream.
The details of the study:
A team of researchers from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia and the University of Guelph in Canada was looking for ways to solve the problem of melting ice cream with the use of banana trees.
Thus, they aimed to test whether they could slow the melting and extend the shelf life of ice cream with the use of a fibrous extract from banana stems.
In the study, the research team extracted cellulose nanofibrils from ground banana stems. Then, they were added in ice cream at different concentrations, ranging from zero to 0.3 grams per 100 grams of the treat.
After that, they analyzed the effects of banana extracts on ice cream with the use of different analytical tools, such as a rheometer and a texturometer. The results revealed that the addition of cellulose fibers extracted from banana trees melted ice much more slowly than traditional ice creams.
In addition, researchers have found that banana extracts may prolong the shelf life of ice cream, or at least reduce its sensitivity to temperature changes that occur during transport from the freezer.
A bonus :
The viscosity of the low-fat ice cream has also increased due to banana extracts. In addition, the creaminess and texture of the dessert have also been improved.
According to Jorge Velásquez Cock, from the Universidad Pontificia
Bolivariana, this also suggests that the banana extracts used could help
stabilize the fat structure in ice creams. Thus, cellulose nanofibrils could be
used as alternatives to reduce the caloric content of ice creams.