If you see a product label that lists “guar gum or cellulose gum” among its ingredients you would probably expect to chew rather than lick. But these substances are critical to making a smooth-textured ice cream. One of the biggest banes of ice cream lovers is the dreaded “heat shock” which occurs when ice cream is repeatedly removed from and put back into the freezer. Each time a little melts and refreezes to form crystals which give the product a crunchy texture. The added gums absorb water and prevent it from refreezing into ice crystals. Gums therefore provide the velvety texture that makes ice cream so appealing we eat enough of it every year to fill the Grand Canyon!
