Fishy Food

Editor's Weekly Ramblings 147

July 13th 2006

Fishy Food

Fish are more useful than you might think. Take the pout fish, for example. This eel-like creature has a unique protein in its blood that allows it to survive deep below the North Atlantic Ocean. Called an ice-structuring protein, it lowers the temperature at which ice crystals grow and changes their shape and structure - thus allowing these fish to live in icy conditions without damaging their tissues.

A protein from the pout fish may soon be used in ice cream.

The protein is important for the fish, but it could also be useful to us. It has inspired ice cream manufacturer Unilever (the maker of Magnum ice cream bars and Carte d'Or ice cream) to look into using an artificial version of this protein in its ice cream. It would make it less fattening: if ice crystals only start to form at a lower temperature, less cream would be needed in the product.

The protein would be produced using genetically-modified yeast - which has sparked some controversy. Vegetarians and vegans are concerned about the presence of animal products and of course, many people don't feel very comfortable eating GM foods. But Unilever claims that there would be no genetically-modified material in the final product and that the amount of the protein used would be insignificant. And ice cream with less fat is more healthy...