Limiting ice crystal growth through ingredients, processing, distribution or storage | Food

Limiting ice crystal growth through ingredients, processing, distribution or storage

Background
What we're looking for
What we can offer you
Who we are
Q&A

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Background

Important fluctuations of temperature during transportation of ice creams affect significantly their microstructure and more specifically the ice crystal size.

The overall sensory profile of the final products can be then altered, with more iciness perception. Traditional ingredients solutions with water binding ability fail to meet consumer expectations as they are very often chemically modified.

What we're looking for

We are seeking technologies to make ice cream more resilient towards temperature fluctuations in terms of textural and physical stability, without compromising the sensory experience. Potential solutions could include ingredients, processing, distribution and storage.

Solutions of interest include:

Ingredients (clean label)
Processing
Distribution
Storage

Our must-have requirements are:

Does not noticeably alter the ice cream flavor
Prevents/limits the ice crystal growth, measured through different techniques such as microscopy

Our nice-to-have's are:

Technology should be ready to implement in 2025
Reasonable cost
Solutions that are already successfully implemented in other products / categories

What's out of scope:

Lab-stage solutions that are not scalable
Chemically modified ingredients (labelled with E-Numbers)

Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):

Levels 5-9

What we can offer you

Eligible partnership models:

Sponsored researchCo-developmentLicensingSupply/purchase

Benefits:

Sponsored Research

Proposal-dependent and typically proof-of-concept project with the potential for follow-on funding for 1-3 years

Expertise

Work directly with subject matter experts with deep experience in ice cream development.

Who we are

General Mills is committed to making food with passion and putting people first by delivering the tastes they love while improving the nutrient density, affordability, and accessibility of our products. We collaborate with scientists, universities, companies, and organizations around the world to strengthen our impact and bring our purpose to life.

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Reviewers

Cyril Chaudemanche

Technology Manager

Christine Ng

Fellow Future Transformations

Andreas Schopf

Principal scientist

Carina Cammarota

R&D Applications and Technology Expert

Q&A with General Mills

The Q&A is now closed.

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We may have a solution at an earlier TRL of 3 or 4. if we can advance that up to 5, should we reach out after the deadline (in some months)?

Casey Lippmeier, Business Development, Conagen, Inc.

October 30, 2023

1. Does any specific ingredient the company decided to test/restrict (hydrocolloids, combinations, bulking agents) 2. Is possible to have a meeting for more clarification before writing proposal?

Rajpreet kaur Goraya, Postdoctoral Scientist, Lethbridge College

October 13, 2023

Thank you for your interest in our challenge. 1) Ideally, we are looking for consumer friendly ingredients, ie. : widely accepted by consumers, without E-Numbers. 2) please submit your proposal directly onto the platform. Be as specific as possible, and do not hesitate to provide references to illustrate the applicability of your solution.

Cyril Chaudemanche, Technology Manager , General Mills

October 23, 2023

Is this response helpful?

I am investigating wireless sensor technology that detects liquid-solid state transition in water using wireless signals. I understand that is not strictly what you are looking for, but will you be interested?

Ashutosh Dhekne, Principal Investigator, Georgia Institute of Technology

October 19, 2023

This solution is not directly applicable to our challenge, but is definitely of interest for our company. Please feel free to submit your idea and we will take the time with our experts to review it carefully.

Cyril Chaudemanche, Technology Manager , General Mills

October 23, 2023

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Seeking partners focused on

Food Chemistry & BiochemistryFood ScienceTransportation Research