Ice Cream – Something More Than a Wonder Confectionary

The culture of ice cream consumption and thus its manufacture albeit steadfastly established in North America essentially originated in Europe where people have been enamored by the product. It is also important to note that ice cream is not an invention but an evolution derived from age-old practices that constituted the cooling of foods and beverages with snow which was well documented in Roman historical writings going as far back as the 1^st-century CE. A Legend (however unsubstantiated) holds that recipes for water ices which was allegedly used in Asia for 1000s of years were brought back by the 13^th-century Venetian merchant Marco Polo top Italy. So is the legend of Italian-born Catherine de’ Medici introducing the secrets of ice cream to the Royal Court of France. Nevertheless, the aforesaid two narratives indicate the sociological love affair which Europeans had with this wonder confectionary.

Nevertheless, perhaps the defining moment towards the evolution of ice cream was the development of the process of freezing water with saltpeter and salt and ice which was documented as early as 1530 in Italy but was not employed in food and beverage processing particularly that of sweet food mixtures freezing till the middle of the 17^th century. French confiturier Nicolas Audiger had contributed to the publishing of the first recipe of water ices in 1692 which was being served in the banquets of European royal courts and nobility. In 1712, a recipe was added by Massialot which comprised milk and was referred to as “Fromage à l’Angloise.”. Further, it was featured in a few cookbooks of the middle of the 18^th century, out of which one of them called L’Art De Bien Faire Les Glaces d'Office: Ou Les Vrais Principes Pour Congeler tous Les Rafraichissemens, a 240-page treatise that presented the philosophical and theological as well as practical and scientific explanations for the phenomena such as the freezing of water apart from providing formulae for “food fit for the gods”. The first documented advertisement was dated May 19, 1777, and appeared in The New York Gazette which partly read “Maybe had almost every day—ice cream.” Nevertheless, the masses had to wait for technological developments of hand-cranked ice cream freezer, ice harvesting, and insulated ice houses as well as the perfection of mechanical refrigeration (1878) and the invention of the direct expansion ice cream freezer (1913). The latter are the two most important contributions to the development of the ice cream industry.

Refrigeration is an inalienable aspect of the global ice cream market. Coupled with the rising environmental concerns and the inclination of minimizing the reliance on harmful chemicals called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration, has also facilitated the growth of the magnetic refrigeration market that is estimated by Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence to grow at a CAGR of 50.44% to attain an estimated market value of US$202.757 million in 2025 the estimated market value of US$17.493 million in 2019. Along the lines of eco-friendliness, a commercial refrigeration company, ELANPRO, introduced a mobile freezer that operates without an external power source and thus has zero energy costs. The product can be integrated with a two-wheeler as well as used for delivery of Ice Cream and a host of other products alternatively. Besides such deep freezer penetration, cold storage is a crucial factor that governs the growth of the global ice cream market.

To this end, it is important to not a company called Dumont that as of July 2019 catered to only the B2B segment for frozen dessert products under brands like dairy fudge, dairy nuts, and dairy treat among others, and with 10 cold storages spread across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, besides 25 cold storage vehicles for product distribution announced its intention to expand its manufacturing and cold storage infrastructure by setting up new ice cream making facility in Hyderabad, ultimately foraying into B2C segment of the market. Further, Tasco Yusen Gold Cold Sdn Bhd (TYGC), the holding company for the cold chain logistics operations which as of April 2019 catered to clients in the food and beverage industry covering ice-cream products, among others reportedly welcomed a new institutional partner Japan  Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corp for Transport and Urban Development (JOIN), which is a Japanese government-funded investment vehicle that is 87.19%-owned by the Minister of Finance, Japan would  RM125 million for a 30% stake in Tasco’s cold chain subsidiary, enabling greater business return in from Indonesia, Myanmar, and  Thailand capitalizing on JOIN’s established network.

Besides improved cold supply chain, changing consumer preferences; population growth; rising disposable incomes; and growing urbanization rates are also expected to propel the global ice cream market. Speaking of changing consumer preferences, it is important to note that a few acknowledgment s would never change i.e., ice cream is a classic on-the-go snack. But the inclination to savor the classic in the variety of formats that it is amide commercially available is changing. In other words, the premium brand of ice cream that quickly melts smearing on clothes and accessories, or spills on the car seat has could be devastating for the companies as far as the appeal of the product is concerned. To this end, it is pertinent to note that scientists in March 2018 have discovered that ice cream whin added with tiny cellulose fibers extracted from banana plant has the potential to decelerate the melting, increase shelf life and possibly replace fats used to make the tasty treat. This is a watershed moment just like the development of a melt-resistant ice cream based on polyphenol compounds found in strawberries in 2017 by scientists in Japan.  Additionally, it’s also known fact the convenience is made available in a variety of forms. To this end, it is relevant to note that in January 2021, a new product called ColdSnap, a countertop device that is marketed to deliver on-demand soft-serve and an elaborate assortment of other frozen treats with unparalleled efficiency. Unlike other ice cream making devices, it doesn’t necessitate the use of mixing ingredients or freezing them.