Japan Invented An Ice Cream That Doesn’t Melt, Here’s How

If you hate eating ice cream bars, or Popsicles that melt all over your hand and create a sticky mess, Japan just changed the game for you.

The Biotherapy Development Research Center Co. in Kanazawa invented pops known as the “not melting Popsicles,” and are now sold under the name Kanazawa Ice.

If it sounds to you like a science company made an accidental discovery and invented an ingenious product as a result, well, that’s literally what happened here.

Scientists at the Research Center were experimenting with strawberries in efforts to help farmers affected by the Great East Japan Tsunami and Earthquake of 2011 sell their product. The berries weren’t visually appealing enough to go to market, but a local pastry chef wanted to try to use polyphenols, chemicals naturally present in the fruit, to make a dessert. A test discovered that the polyphenols solidified cream almost instantly, leading to experimentation of adding the strawberry extract into frozen desserts to create the unmelting ice cream.

The Popsicles are apparently incredibly heat-resistant, and can even stand up to an air dryer for at least five minutes without melting at all. They’re sold for about 500 yen ($4.50 US) each, and can be found in Osaka, Tokyo, and other outlets.

If you’re interested in getting hold of this ice cream ASAP, head to Japan and try them out for yourself. Otherwise, it’s probably only a matter of time before somebody here in the US does the same thing, so you can always wait around for a while for these Popsicles to make their way to the U.S.

More content

Innovation
Scientists Are Now Climate-Proofing Potatoes
Climate change continues to inspire innovation in the food industry. In China, scientists are working hard on a new approach to growing potatoes. According to…
,
InnovationProducts
Indulge In Innovation?: Lab-Grown Foie Gras Is Here
Alternative types of protein are all the rage. From beetle larvae to protein made out of thin air, there is no shortage of inventive, albeit…
,
Innovation
Are Laser-Etched Fruit The Next Big Thing For Food Sustainability?
Sustainability has inspired all sorts of innovation in the food industry. From the FDA redefining healthy to climate-friendly food chains, the industry is responding to…
,
Burger
We Deliver!

Enter your email address below and we'll deliver our top stories straight to your inbox