Melting ice is a hassle. It leaves a soggy mess, dilutes drinks, and contaminates food.
Researchers have now created a new kind of reusable, compostable ice that never leaves a puddle behind.
University of California, Davis food scientists have named their creation “jelly ice,” a material that cools like ice but leaves no watery mess.
The application process is simple: use it for cooling, rinse it off, and place it back in the freezer to prepare it for its next use.
Interestingly, the jelly ice is 90% water and can be molded into different shapes.
“Compared to regular ice of the same shape and size, jelly ice has up to 80% of the cooling efficiency — the amount of heat the gel can absorb through phase change,” said Jiahan Zou, the study researcher.
“And we can reuse the material and maintain the heat absorbance across multiple freeze-thaw cycles, so that’s an advantage compared to regular ice,” added Zou.
Inspired by frozen tofu
The project began when a food scientist observed the massive amount of ice used at fish-processing plants and the risk of cross-contamination that meltwater could spread.
The team started looking for a solution to control these pathogens in grocery store seafood displays.
The inspiration to design jelly ice struck while observing frozen tofu, which retains water internally but releases it upon thawing.
The researchers looked for a material that could hold water even through phase changes, and came across gelatin – the same food-safe material that makes jiggly desserts.
Gelatin‘s long protein strands link together, forming hydrogels with tiny pores that trap water.
Early tests of the hydrogels, made from a natural polymer (or biopolymer), were promising. The water stayed within the gelatin structure as it froze and thawed, with no leaks.
After years of research, the team has perfected a simple, one-step process for making jelly ice.
The material can be reused by simply washing, freezing, and thawing. It’s soft and jiggly at room temperature, but once cooled below 32°F (0°C), it becomes firm and solid.
Offers various advantages
Jelly ice can be made in 1-pound (0.45-kilogram) slabs. These innovative cubes offer various advantages.
Compared to regular ice, it doesn’t melt into a puddle, eliminating the risk of contamination and mess. It’s reusable, so you simply need to wash it with water or diluted bleach.
And best of all, it’s completely compostable. When composted, it showed incredible potential to improve tomato plant growth.
Plus, this new material can be customized into any shape or size and, because it’s made from natural polymers, it doesn’t contribute to microplastic pollution.
For now, jelly ice can preserve food, keeping it cold and fresh during shipping without regular ice or cooling packs.
However, it has many potential uses, including medical shipping and biotechnology, and it can be used as an alternative to existing ice in areas with limited water.
Although licenses for the “jelly ice” technology have been secured, Zou notes that it still needs to undergo market analysis, product design, and large-scale production testing before it can be commercially sold to consumers.
Inspired by the success of jelly ice, they are now exploring other natural biopolymers, particularly plant-based proteins like soy.
The development will be presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) fall meeting.