Lifestyles - Lubbock Online.com Cool treat not facing extinction

Published: Wednesday, July 08, 1998











Cool treat not facing extinction



Ice cream, which captured the American fancy more than two centuries ago, is expected to move smoothly into the next millennium as though the butterfat crisis of July 1998 never occurred.

Crisis is such a relative term, anyway, when ice cream is at stake. And though agriculture officials say there is in fact a short supply of cream, ice cream vendors believe that a likely 5 percent rise in prices will have little effect on sales.

Competition for butterfat from cheese and other products, along with a decline in dairies and milk supplies, has created a sharp demand for cream that is expected to remain at least through the summer.

The frozen dessert that has become a favorite throughout the nation's history was first elevated to mass-market status on May 12, 1777, when confectioner Philip Lenzi advertised in the New York Gazette that ice cream was available ''almost every day.''

It hasn't left the American scene since.

The principal image of ice cream ? the cone ? was invented in 1896 by Italo Marchiony, who later received the patent.

Now, ice cream has proliferated into hundreds of flavors and mixes, one for almost everyone to love ? everyone except nutritionists. Some nutritionists are so uncomfortable with the frozen dessert, that they categorically condemn it.

But a search for a truly healthful substitute that tastes just as good hasn't proven successful. The marketplace has pushed a myriad of substitutes onto the sidelines, while undiluted ice cream continues to sell. Max Miller, a Texas Tech food technology professor who has expertise in homemade ice cream, said ice cream has an average of 12 percent cream in it.

''As a rule ? I'm talking about good eating, not what all these people are talking about in nutrition ? as a rule, the higher the fat content, the better the ice cream.''

Miller remembers attempts to take away butterfat from milk. ''Back in the late 60s and early 70s they came out with a product in which they replaced the fat in milk with vegetable fat. They called it 'filled milk' and thought it was really going to sell. It played out in a hurry.''

There is a certain demand for low-fat ice cream, though, and various techniques can compensate to a degree.

Kay Davis of Lubbock, marketing consultant for Dairy Max, said the addition of a small package of instant pudding can help when making low-fat ice cream.

''If someone really wants the full flavor and creaminess, then nothing replaces using cream or half and half. But if they really need to watch the fat, then they can use skim milk and use something like the fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding to help replace the creaminess.''

She said the addition of fruit to ice milk also can offset the lower cream content while adding flavor.

Dr. Harlan Wright, who places an emphasis on nutrition in his medical practice, disapproves not only of ice cream, but modern processed milk as well.

''They destroy the phosphatase in the pasteurization process, and the phosphatase is what allows you to break down the calcium from the phosphorous.''

Ice cream, in addition to the processed milk, can contain sugar, artificial sweeteners and dyes, he said, adding that he doesn't know of a good substitute for milk or ice cream.

''Yogurt is excellent ? plain yogurt, not these sweetened yogurts. Just the cultured yogurt, that's real good for you, but that's certainly not ice cream.''

Cones are still among the favorite ways of eating ice cream, according to Jason Burreson, manager of Marble Slab Creamery at South Plains Mall.

''We sell probably two-to-one in cones versus cups,'' he said.

The combinations that Burreson makes are virtually unlimited. ''We have a flavor that we call Sweet Cream. It's like a homemade vanilla. A lot of people mix it with fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries, or blueberries. We have all different kinds of candy from M&Ms to Nestle's Crunch, Heath Bar, Butterfingers, and we've got five or six different kinds of nuts that we can mix in with it.''

A double dark chocolate flavor with crushed Oreo cookies mixed in offers both creaminess and crunch.

Burreson's shop, which charges considerably more than the memorable five cents a cone of decades past, is proof that rising butterfat prices likely will not deter ice cream appreciators.

''A lot of people think our ice cream is pretty pricey, but it is a lot of ice cream, and for it to be homemade, you can definitely tell the difference,'' he said.

Referring to a 71/2-ounce serving, Burreson explained, ''If you get just a scoop of ice cream ? it comes in a cup or plain cone ? that runs $2.69. If you get something mixed in with it, its $3.01, and for every other mix-in it goes up in an increment of about 30 or 32 cents. So, you can spend anywhere from $2.69 upwards of five bucks for a cone.''

The current popularity of ice cream could be blamed in part on the weather, according to Burreson. ''I would have to say it's El Nino ? everything is so hot. Starting at about 3 p.m., we will be solid people in here until about 7 or 8 p.m., and Saturdays are huge days for us.''

Rickye Parker, ice cream sales manager for Bell Dairy Products, said that despite all the flavors available today, vanilla is still No. 1.

The company markets its ice cream products under the Gandy's brand name. ''We have other Gandy's flavors that are doing quite well, such as chocolate, moose tracks, cherry vanilla and peach. Gandy's Slim-n-Trim Lowfat Ice cream is still doing well also.''

In a media statement, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry cited rising consumer demand for ice cream, yogurt, cheese, sour cream and butter to explain the current competition for butterfat, which has resulted in price increases this summer.

Parker said the federal government no longer stores large quantities of butter. ''In 1992, butter stocks were 781 million pounds, now less than 60 million pounds.''

Miller doesn't expect the shortage of butterfat to change soon. ''In the past few years, a lot of dairy farmers have gone out of business.''

Given the concerns by nutritionists and rising prices, why is ice cream expected to remain an inseparable part of the American culture?

Davis explains it with a word:

''Taste. Just the cool creaminess of it.''

