What Makes Ice Cream So Addictive?冰淇淋為何讓人欲罷不能？

莉薩·德雷爾　范婕/譯

Even as a nutritionist concerned with healthy eating， ice cream is one food I cant give up. Maybe it has something to do with the way the coldness hits my mouth on a hot summer day. Or the creaminess of every bite. Or maybe its that ice cream evokes happy memories of special times shared with my family.

即使身為注重健康飲食的營養學家，我也無法割舍冰淇淋這種食物。也許是因為難以抗拒炎熱夏天里，它觸及唇齒時帶來的冰爽涼意；或是因為舍不掉那一次次入口的濃甜柔滑；還可能是因為冰淇淋總能喚起我和家人共度特殊時刻的愉快回憶。

Whatever the reason， I know Im not the only person that has regular cravings for ice cream. According to the International Dairy Foods Association， the average American consumes more than 23 pounds of ice cream per year. One study shows that the more often we eat ice cream， the more of it we may need to satisfy the craving.

不管是什么原因，我知道我不是唯一一個經常饞冰淇淋的人。國際乳制品協會的相關資料顯示，每個美國人平均每年吃掉超過23磅的冰淇淋。一項研究表明，我們越頻繁地吃冰淇淋，可能就越需要多吃來解饞。

But why？

但這是為什么呢？

“When you get the answer to that， will you call me and let me know？” joked Steve Young， a food chemist and microbiologist， and a former technical director at Dreyers and Edys Grand Ice Cream， who teaches courses on ice cream science and technology to ice cream manufacturers.

“你要是找到了這個問題的答案，可以打電話告訴我嗎？”史蒂夫·揚打趣地說。他是食品化學家和微生物學家，曾在德雷爾和埃迪大冰淇淋公司擔任技術總監，現在從事的工作是向冰淇淋生產商教授關于冰淇淋的科學知識和生產技術。

Young says that producing ice cream with a high appeal for consumers “is the study of a lifetime，” because it involves “a lot of applied chemistry and physics，” along with “heavy doses of personal preferences.” For example， Young notes， “I love coffee... but if you put it in ice cream format， I cant stand it.”

揚說，制作出深受消費者喜愛的冰淇淋是一項“畢生研究”，因為這個過程涉及“很多應用化學和物理學知識”，還有“大量的個人喜好因素”。他舉例道：“我喜歡喝咖啡，但如果把咖啡做成冰淇淋，我就無法接受。”

Unsatisfied with Youngs non-answer， I pushed until he finally offered me at least a hint at what makes ice cream so delectable.

揚似是而非的回答無法讓我滿意，于是我繼續追問，最后他至少向我暗示了冰淇淋如此美味可口的原因。

The “F-factor”

“F要素”

The ultimate appeal of ice cream， he explained， is anything that positively influences what he calls the “F-factor，” or “flavor.” And he breaks that down into the perception of any ice cream flavor as a complex combination of six variables： appearance， aroma， acidity， taste， texture and temperature.

揚解釋說，凡是能對風味（他稱之為“F要素”）產生積極作用的東西都能構成冰淇淋的終極魅力。他把F要素加以分解，認為任何冰淇淋風味都是6個變量的復雜組合。這6個變量是：外觀、香氣、酸度、口味、口感和溫度。

Paying careful attention to temperature during delivery is key， because if ice cream melts and refreezes during distribution and storage， this can damage the air cell structure and create large ice crystals， which can negatively affect the texture of ice cream， Young explained.

他接著解釋說，關鍵在于運輸途中要特別注意控制溫度。如果冰淇淋在配送和儲存環節融化后又重新凍住，這個過程會破壞其內部的氣室結構，產生大塊冰晶，從而讓冰淇淋的口感打折扣。

Sweetness： the biggest driver of the “F-factor”

甜度：“F要素”的最強驅動力

The No. 1 driver of ice cream cravings is its sweetness， explained Gail Civille， founder and president of Sens-ory Spectrum， a consulting firm that helps companies learn how sensory cues drive consumer perceptions of products. Ice cream should not be “cloyingly sweet， so you can eat more of it，” Civille said.

蓋爾·西維爾是咨詢公司“感官光譜”的創始人兼總裁。她的公司旨在幫助企業了解種種感官暗示如何促使消費者形成對產品的認知。西維爾解釋說，冰淇淋最吸引人的一點就是甜度，“應該甜而不膩，讓人越吃越想吃”。

The amount of fat is important， too. To even be called “ice cream，” a product must contain at least 10% milk fat， also called butterfat. The more butterfat， the better the mouthfeel. So， sweetness which contributes to the taste variable and fat which contributes to texture are key players in the likability of any particular ice cream.

另一個要點是脂肪含量。一款產品要想被稱作“冰淇淋”（ice cream直譯為“冰奶油”），至少得含10%的乳脂肪（也叫乳脂）。乳脂越多，口感越好。因此，甜度豐富口味，乳脂提升口感，二者是決定一款冰淇淋能否讓人喜歡的關鍵因素。

But Civille also points to another inter-esting characteristic about ice cream： control over melt. The melt should be “not too fast” and “not too slow，” which can make an ice cream feel gummy.

不過，西維爾還指出了另一個關于冰淇淋的有趣特征：對融化速度的控制。冰淇淋的融化速度“不能太快”也“不能太慢”，這樣吃起來就會覺得很黏稠。

Ice cream ingredients： a complex dance

各種成分：配合跳出復雜的舞蹈

Aside from sugar， fat and melt， companies may use differing amounts and types of ingredients to affect the different flavor variables. For example， a manufacturer might use egg yolk in an ice cream recipe， which may contribute a yellowish color and “eggy” flavor to ice cream.

除了糖分、脂肪和融化速度，各家冰淇淋公司可能會用不同分量和種類的原料來調節風味的各個變量。比如說，一家生產商可能會在冰淇淋配方中加入蛋黃，為其增添淡黃的顏色和“蛋”的風味。

Irresistible ice creams are also made with high-quality ingredients. For example， making ice cream with good milk is very important. The milk should have a very light sweet taste， without any extraneous off-flavors.

要做出讓人難以抗拒的冰淇淋，還需高品質的原料。例如，用優質牛奶制作冰淇淋非常重要。這樣的牛奶帶有淡淡的甜味，不會有任何多余的異味。

So there are many factors that go into an ice creams flavor and ultimate enjoyment. “Its a complex dance，” Young said.

由此可見，許多因素相互作用才能成就冰淇淋的風味，并最終帶給消費者舌尖上的享受。揚說：“這就像是一支復雜的舞蹈。”

But thats not the end of the ice cream story.

不過，冰淇淋的故事并未就此結束。

Ice cream “addiction” can be brand-specific

人們可能會對特定品牌的冰淇淋“上癮”

Young explained how you can have all the formula and flavor specifics of the very best-selling ice cream， and yet theres no guarantee that another ice cream meant to “copy” that very best-seller would taste the same. In other words， theres something uniquely consistent about what any given brand produces. Because consistency is so important， Civille spends her days ensuring that brands deliver a product that is “unchanged as humanly possible so people have the same sensory experience.”

揚解釋說，就算獲得一款暢銷冰淇淋的完整配方和調味細節，也不能保證“復制”出來的產品在味道上能與那款暢銷冰淇淋一模一樣。換句話說，任何特定品牌的產品都始終保持著自身特色。品質如一至關重要，因此西維爾每天都在確保品牌推出的產品“在人力所及范圍內盡可能地保持不變，以便消費者總能獲得相同的感官體驗”。

After all， the pleasure we get from slowly savoring a mouthwatering scoop of ice cream on a sweltering summer day counts for something， right？

在炎炎夏日里慢慢品味一勺讓人垂涎的冰淇淋，從中獲得的那份愉悅終究有其意義，大家說對嗎？