Cambridge Scientists Work On Creating Warm "Ambient" Ice Cream

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Red Bean Ice with Hokkaido Soft Serve

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We all scream for ice cream, but would you scream for warm ice cream? Researchers from Cambridge University, in partnership with Unilever, are trying to develop a brand of ice cream that would be sold to consumers at room temperature. Your taste buds would not actually be fooled, as is the case with artificial sweeteners and other food fakes. In this case, scientists are trying to come up with an ice cream formula that could be purchased warm, and than frozen in home freezers just before consumption. The sale of warm ice cream is supposed to significantly decrease the cost of transporting ice cream products since bulky freezers would no longer be required. In addition, selling warm ice cream would reduce carbon emissions. Typically, ice cream freezers require a lot of energy to operate and thus pollute the environment. Eliminating the need for freezers would reduce your ice cream’s carbon footprint.

So, in principle it would appear that the concept of warm ice cream is a win-win situation for all parties involved. But will this idea fly with consumers? After all, in an average consumer’s mind ice cream has to be “iced.” Or does it? Will getting consumers to even try liquid ice cream be more challenging than actually coming up with a chemical formula for it? And, what if the researchers get the formula wrong, will the freezing/ thawing cycles of ice cream interfere with the taste experience and health safety of the product?

What is your take?