At this time of the year, people s minds start turning to ice cream, but maybe not this type; food scientists in India have developed an ice cream made from 'fish'.
The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) in Kochi, Kerala have developed the new ice cream known as ~maricream using cooked cuttlefish (a cephalopod), egg, water, sugar, butter and a compliment of emulsifiers, stabilisers and flavourings.
The manufacturers claim that this ice cream is an improvement on the original fish free version as it is bacteria free and the fish protein means it contains all the essential amino acids making it a nutritious dessert. It is deodorised meaning that there is no ~fishy flavour.
CIFT director K Devadasan is quoted in Daily News India saying: Nobody associates fish with ice cream. We wanted to do something different and our scientists came out with this novel dessert.
The company have also developed fish noodles using edible fish powder made from small bony fishes extruded through commercial noodle making machines. The fish powder used in this is rich in protein, calcium and phosphorous.
This is not the first time that fish ice cream has been in the news; two years ago Unilever - the company behind brands such as Magnum, Wall s and Carte D or - submitted an application to use genetically modified yeast to produce a fish protein.
Based on a protein found in the blood of the North Atlantic Ocean pout Zoarces americanus the company claimed that the lower temperature needed to produce ice crystals would mean an ice cream lower in cream or fat.
Scientists and environmentalists hit back with complaints to the FSA that the company had not considered the full implications for human allergies.
The product is now under review by a team of FSA scientists and consumers, collectively known as The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).
Next in line for production by CIFT are fish-based snacks and fish powder cookies. We can t wait...