Innovative Machine Using Carbon Dioxide Pressure Turns Liquid Ice Cream Mix into Frozen Treat in Just Three Seconds Using Carbon Dioxide Pressure.
Innovative Machine Using Carbon Dioxide Pressure
Innovative Machine Using Carbon Dioxide Pressure: Food scientists have invented a machine that can turn a liquid ice cream mix into a cold, creamy treat in just three seconds using pressurized carbon dioxide.
The newly-patented method, developed by Syed Rizvi, a professor of food science engineering, and Michael E. Wagner, Ph.D., is very different from traditional ice cream making. The latter usually involves a dairy-based mix flowing through a heat-exchanging barrel until it starts to freeze.
In contrast, the new method involves highly pressurized carbon dioxide passing over a nozzle and drawing in the liquid ice cream mix. When the carbon dioxide goes from extremely high pressure to a lower pressure, it instantly cools the ice cream mix to about minus 70 degrees C, turning it into the frozen treat we all know and love. This process is known as the Joule-Thompson Effect.
According to Prof. Syed Rizvi, “It’s very simple, and this machine converts the mix into a scoop of ice cream in about three seconds. The mix can be made commercially, locally or you can make it at home.”
Rizvi and Wagner built a prototype ice cream machine to demonstrate that their process works, and if everything goes according to plan, we may see commercially-available ice cream machines hitting the market in the near future. That means anyone will be able to make fresh ice cream in the comfort of their own home in just three seconds.
The invention of carbonated ice cream may revolutionize commercial transportation because it essentially eliminates the need for freezer trucks. Since the liquid ice cream can be flash-frozen on location, there is no longer a need to keep it frozen at minus 20 degrees Celsius for long periods of time.
This new way of making instant ice cream also guarantees a “clean” product, as there is no longer a need for various emulsifiers and stabilizers that ice cream makers use to compensate for failing spots in the cold-temperature transportation chain.
The two food scientists explain that their method can be used to make slushies out of soft drinks or carbonated ice out of plain water. Essentially, it works with any liquid drink that can be partially frozen.
