The jelly ice cubes created by scientists at the University of California are non-melting, reusable and compostable. The plastic-free cooling cubes are useful for preventing cross-contamination when fresh food is shipped. As Gang Sun, Professor in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, explains, "When ice melts, it’s not reusable. We thought we could make a so-called solid ice to serve as a cooling medium and be reusable."
In terms of texture, the jelly ice cubes are said to be comparable to gelatin yet they are actually made of more than 90% water. Other components are necessary to stabilize the structure of the cooling cubes and help them retain their shape.
To support the future of shipping, these cooling cubes can be cut into any shape or size, and sanitzed in between uses.
Image Credit: Gregory Urquiaga, UC Davis
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Reusable Cooling Cubes
- There is an opportunity to create other reusable cooling products for shipping and transportation industries.
- Compostable Packaging
- There is an opportunity to create compostable packaging for food and other products.
- Plastic-free Innovation
- There is an opportunity for further development of plastic-free products in various industries.
Sectors Adopting This
- Food Shipping and Transportation
- Reusable cooling products can innovate food shipping and transportation industries.
- Packaging Industry
- Compostable packaging can innovate the packaging industry.
- Consumer Goods Industry
- Plastic-free innovation can innovate the consumer goods industry.
