Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 23, 1993 TAG: 9307230208
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
So it goes with ice cream, which we would all consume in mass quantities if it did not clog our arteries, rot our teeth and make us really fat.
Now, thanks to modern science and the Virginia Tech food science department, it may be possible to slurp ice cream - and other milk products - without some of the negative side effects.
On Tuesday, the department staged a special taste testing of a new ice cream that lacks one of the great villains of contemporary life, cholesterol.
Ice cream aficionadoes trouped into Tech's Squires Student Center to try out the product, and the early returns indicate the low-chol ice cream took a favorable licking.
"It's very good. Very smooth and tasty," said Blacksburg resident Marilyn Hardell.
She and others were handed a small plastic cup of chocolate ice cream, a spoon and a glass of water to clear the palate.
They were asked to take three bites and fill out an evaluation form that inquired if the taster liked or disliked the ice cream extremely, moderately or slightly.
Most people interviewed not only liked the ice cream, but felt spiritually uplifted for having eaten something wholesome.
"I can go to sleep tonight knowing that I haven't hurt myself," said Virginia Tech spokesman Phillip Breeze.
Edgy consumers have forced the dairy industry to develop low-cholesterol products, said Susan Duncan, who directed the lab where Tech's new ice cream was made.
"The public is saying, `I'm scared about my health.' We're trying to improve the image of dairy products, and take out the scare factors."
Tech's scientific mission has been to take cholesterol-free milkfat and recombine it with other stuff to produce user-friendly cream.
Although the debate continues about the alleged evils of cholesterol, it's for certain the substance has no influence on the way dairy products taste, Duncan said.
So if ice cream or any other dairy product without cholesterol makes consumers happy, she's all for it.
Plus, she admitted there are worse research projects during the hot summer months.
Duncan and her assistants have had to taste the ice cream throughout the developmental process - in the interest of science, of course.
"It's been like making homemade ice cream, except in larger quantities," said Jeannie Harris, a lab technician.
Tech decided to try out the reconstituted cholesterol-less cream by using ice cream as the market test vehicle for several reasons, Duncan said.
For one thing, ice cream is easy to make in large quantities. And Duncan correctly assumed that human guinea pigs would readily be attracted to a free ice cream offer on a hot day.
Indeed, none of the tasters were heard spitting out the ice cream or exclaiming, "Yuk!"
"It's good. Got a nice consistency, not stiff or gummy," said Dick Johnson of Blacksburg.
The test was set up so tasters randomly sampled either a batch of the low cholesterol ice cream or another batch that contained regular amounts of the stuff.
Rankings will be compared and reported. If all goes well, Tech may be able to patent the process and sell it to dairy manufacturers, Duncan said.
Among her responsibilities, Duncan is a professional ice cream judge, and she says she likes the low-chol ice cream.
Ice cream lovers shouldn't get too hopeful, she cautioned, because there's no way the fat content of dairy products can be eliminated.
Still, before long it's possible that among the options in your supermarket freezer will be a low-cholesterol, maroon and orange swirl ice cream called "Heavenly Hokie."
by CNB