Natto Beans Will Make Your Ice Cream Last Longer?

Don’t you hate it when you’re licking ice cream during the hot sun and it just drips down the cone, then to your hands and then all the way down to your elbows.  In order to prevent this from happening, you’ll have to lick the eat ice cream as quick as you can, but then you end up with a bad brain freeze.  Oh what to do?

Well in Japan there is a special protein within a certain food that may solve this issue.  At the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee they have discovered this special protein in a bean.  This bean is often eaten at breakfast in Japan.

Natto bean is a sort of sticky food and is known for many of its health benefits.  It is basically Fermented Soybean.  If you ever seen it, it looks like a spidery webby and gooey substance that gives out a pretty interesting cheesy smell.  A lot of Westerners have tried this food and many have not enjoyed it at first.  Let’s just say it’s more of an acquired taste.

This protein can be used to create a longer-lasting firmer ice-cream and does not melt that easily.  In essence, it is more or less a binding agent that bonds the ingredients of the ice cream.  This will create a longer-lasting and non-drippy ice cream.  It can be stored at a lower temperature thus using less energy and can be enjoyed in areas where ice cream is not so common.

It is still in the study and analysis phase.  Scientists are hoping that this protein agent will be used in the mass-market in 3 to 5 years.

The potential of this research is very promising and the results can be applied in many other applications and not just ice cream.  Supposedly the protein can also prevent crystallization that is common in freezing foods.  We’ll have to wait a couple years to see if this will go through and see if there are any safety concerns.