More practical, healthier and above all reusable ice cubes

Anicet Mbida 06:53 am, November 30, 2021

Anicet Mbida is interested this Tuesday in a novelty on the ice side.

We found a way to make them more practical, healthier and above all reusable.

It is true that ice cubes are quite primitive.

We are talking about simple cubes of frozen water.

This poses a series of problems: they melt, which ends up diluting the liquid they are in, or putting water everywhere.

And of course, they are not reusable.

Researchers at the University of California at Davis in the United States have developed a much more efficient material.

It looks like jelly in a bit harder (this is called a hydrogel).

And it's 90% water.

It can be cut in any size and shape.

The material is transparent and soft at room temperature, but it becomes hard and opaque when frozen.

The advantage?

It will not turn into a puddle as it thaws.

It can therefore be easily reused.

But what's the difference with ice packs or plastic ice cubes?

Plastic precisely!

It is a material composed only of gelatin and water.

It is therefore 100% compostable.

Gelatin can even be obtained from food waste.

There is also no risk of leakage since it is a hydrogel.

Water is an intrinsic part of matter, it remains trapped even if it is pierced or cut.

Finally, it melts much slower than an ordinary ice cube.

This allows it to stay fresher for longer.

Is it infinitely reusable?

No, only about fifteen times on average.

Afterwards, the material slowly begins to degrade and come to shreds.

Imagine in a cocktail.

It wouldn't be very sweet.

On the other hand, this ice cream substitute is of great interest to the food industry.

Fish and seafood consume a lot of ice (and therefore a lot of water) for their transport and storage.

Switching to this kind of frozen jelly would save the industry serious money.