Ice-cream is everyone’s love irrespective of age. What can be a better option than ice-cream on a hot summer day? Because of this increasing demand for ice-cream, many innovations have taken place in the ice-cream sector, ranging from different flavors to freezing technology.
See this image. What do you think? How does it look like?
Imagine a cup, filled with beads of different colors, and when eaten, giving an extreme cooling sensation with burst of different flavors. Have you tried this? Many of you would know about this by the company name ‘MiniMelts’. Isn’t it?
Ice-cream bombs is a unique kind of ice-cream that has gained huge importance due to its unique shape and texture. It comes in spherical or drop-like shape, non-sticky texture, and in different flavors with different colors which makes them look appealing.
Now the question is, how does it come into existence? Who tried it out first?
All thanks to the microbiologist Curt Jones, who has given us this wonderful ice-cream. While working on the flash freezing of yogurt bacteria for animal-feed, he thought of trying this technology with an ice-cream mix. Since it gave unique appearance and texture to the product, it gave rise to the company, Dippin’ Dots, manufacturing this kind of ice-cream beads for the first time.
Later on, Mini Melts also come into the market with a similar product. Dippin’ Dots brought a lawsuit against Mini Melts for infringement of the patent. Unfortunately, they lost the case as well as patent because the judge invalidated their patent as this technology was too obvious for ice-cream making.
Presently, Mini Melts has created a worldwide presence of their ice-creams in over 40 countries, including India. Cool Beads has also launched their ice-creams in Colorado.
How does this ice-cream differ from other ice-creams available in the market?
Ice-creams available in market has high overrun, i.e. contain a good amount of air incorporated in it. It is done by whipping the mixture for a few seconds to minutes, depending on the requirement, to make the ice-cream have its soft texture. Without overrun, such ice-creams would look-like frozen milk.
Unlike this, ice-cream beads don't undergo the process of overrun. It contains 100% material without air. The liquid mixture is instantly frozen by liquid nitrogen, giving no time for overrun.
Moreover, the freezing and storage temperature of other ice-creams is different from ice-cream beads. Ice-creams are generally frozen at -35ᵒC to -40ᵒC and stored at -12ᵒC to -18ᵒC whereas ice-cream beads are frozen at -196ᵒC and stored at -40ᵒC. This is one of the reasons why the manufactures of ice-cream beads have to install their own refrigerated system at shops for selling their products.
Manufacturing Process:
The manufacturing process involves cryogenic freezing which causes flash freezing of the ice cream mix. Cryogenic freezing stands for flash freezing by using liquid nitrogen as cooling agents that have a temperature of -196ᵒC. Any material that comes in contact with liquid nitrogen gets frozen in seconds. To prepare ice-cream beads:
The first step involves the preparation of ice-cream mixture by mixing all the ingredients together. It includes water, sugar syrup, flavors, colors, milk solids, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and acids, depending on the type of variety to be prepared.
Once the mixture of properly mixed, it is fed drop-by-drop into a chamber containing liquid Nitrogen at -196ᵒC.
When the drops of mixture pass through -196ᵒC liquid nitrogen, it gets freeze instantaneously giving rise to separate beads of ice-cream.
These beads are collected into bags and stored at -40ᵒC to prevent them from melting.
(You may check out the video for better understanding of process. Link is given in references.)
Is this technology beneficial?
Well, this technology is assumed ‘to lock the flavor’ of the ice-cream. When the ice-cream mixture drops are flash-frozen, their flavor gets locked in the beads and released when these are melted in our mouth. It gives a great taste on consumption. Moreover, it gives the ice-cream an appealing appearance when filled in a cup.
So, whenever you go out, try this marvelous ice-cream and enjoy the burst of flavors and cooling in your mouth!!!
References:
Things you don’t know about Dippin’Dots: By Becki ledford on mashed.com
How Dippin’ Dots are made: Video by Food Insider on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFMH-dq94Sc
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