Unilever R&D Opens Global Centre for Ice Foods in the UK & Italy

The Ice Foods centre will bring together all Unilever's know-how in ice, freezing, ingredients and processing to achieve critical mass and promote cross-fertilisation of new ideas.

20/06/08 Unilever R&D has opened its twin-sited Centre of Excellence Ice Foods: a global product development centre for ice cream and ice-based foods. The Ice Foods centre will bring together all Unilever's know-how in ice, freezing, ingredients and processing to achieve critical mass and promote cross-fertilisation of new ideas. The centre employs 130 R&D professionals across Colworth Science Park, United Kingdom and Caivano, Italy.

The challenge for the technical centre is to develop appealing, tasty and wholesome ice-based foods. The ice experts will focus on using natural ingredients (e.g. milk, fruit, cereals) and minimising fat, sugar and calories without compromising on taste and enjoyment. They will try to increase the pleasurable experience of ice cream and ice-based foods through the creation of new eating sensations and innovative formats.

To deliver these innovations, the Ice Foods product development centre will strive for world-class technical capability that can be applied in ice cream and across other foods:

* Freezing, aeration of products and ice technology
Controlling ice crystals through the freezing process and keeping air in ice based products to give different and new textures, flavour delivery and/or reduce fat and sugar levels. Also, using ice as an ingredient to deliver new eating sensations and occasions e.g. drinkable or fizzy ice.

*  Product shaping and forming
Product design and processing technology to make, shape and assemble ice-based products for unique sensory experiences.

*  The ice cream value chain – from cow to cone
All the technical know-how needed to make ice cream: from raw materials to creative product formulation and design, to manufacturing and distribution to the shelf -around the world.

*  Packaging and selling systems for ice based foods
Innovative packaging formats for ice foods that are attractive and functional for the consumer, ease handling for customers, and are responsible with respect to the environment. Selling systems that make products available when and where people want them.

Iain Campbell, Director of the Centre of Excellence Ice Foods, stated at the opening:
"We want to be a treasure trove of technologies for new innovations that wow our consumers."

The opening ended with the world's first Ice Cream Olympics, symbolising the R&D centre's drive to be the best in the world.