What Makes Ice Cream So Addictive?冰淇淋为何让人欲罢不能？

莉萨·德雷尔　范婕/译

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.

即使身為注重健康饮食的营养学家，我也无法割舍冰淇淋这种食物。也许是因为难以抗拒炎热夏天里，它触及唇齿时带来的冰爽凉意；或是因为舍不掉那一次次入口的浓甜柔滑；还可能是因为冰淇淋总能唤起我和家人共度特殊时刻的愉快回忆。

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个经常馋冰淇淋的人。国际乳制品协会的相关资料显示，每个美国人平均每年吃掉超过23磅的冰淇淋。一项研究表明，我们越频繁地吃冰淇淋，可能就越需要多吃来解馋。

But why？

但这是为什么呢？

“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.

“你要是找到了这个问题的答案，可以打电话告诉我吗？”史蒂夫·扬打趣地说。他是食品化学家和微生物学家，曾在德雷尔和埃迪大冰淇淋公司担任技术总监，现在从事的工作是向冰淇淋生产商教授关于冰淇淋的科学知识和生产技术。

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.”

扬说，制作出深受消费者喜爱的冰淇淋是一项“毕生研究”，因为这个过程涉及“很多应用化学和物理学知识”，还有“大量的个人喜好因素”。他举例道：“我喜欢喝咖啡，但如果把咖啡做成冰淇淋，我就无法接受。”

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

扬似是而非的回答无法让我满意，于是我继续追问，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.

扬解释说，凡是能对风味（他称之为“F要素”）产生积极作用的东西都能构成冰淇淋的终极魅力。他把F要素加以分解，认为任何冰淇淋风味都是6个变量的复杂组合。这6个变量是：外观、香气、酸度、口味、口感和温度。

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.

他接着解释说，关键在于运输途中要特别注意控制温度。如果冰淇淋在配送和储存环节融化后又重新冻住，这个过程会破坏其内部的气室结构，产生大块冰晶，从而让冰淇淋的口感打折扣。

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

甜度：“F要素”的最强驱动力

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.

盖尔·西维尔是咨询公司“感官光谱”的创始人兼总裁。她的公司旨在帮助企业了解种种感官暗示如何促使消费者形成对产品的认知。西维尔解释说，冰淇淋最吸引人的一点就是甜度，“应该甜而不腻，让人越吃越想吃”。

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.

另一个要点是脂肪含量。一款产品要想被称作“冰淇淋”（ice cream直译为“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，甜度丰富口味，乳脂提升口感，二者是决定一款冰淇淋能否让人喜欢的关键因素。

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.

不过，西维尔还指出了另一个关于冰淇淋的有趣特征：对融化速度的控制。冰淇淋的融化速度“不能太快”也“不能太慢”，这样吃起来就会觉得很黏稠。

Ice cream ingredients： a complex dance

各种成分：配合跳出复杂的舞蹈

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会用不同分量和种类的原料来调节风味的各个变量。比如说，一家生产商可能会在冰淇淋配方中加入蛋黄，为其增添淡黄的颜色和“蛋”的风味。

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.

要做出讓人难以抗拒的冰淇淋，还需高品质的原料。例如，用优质牛奶制作冰淇淋非常重要。这样的牛奶带有淡淡的甜味，不会有任何多余的异味。

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

由此可见，许多因素相互作用才能成就冰淇淋的风味，并最终带给消费者舌尖上的享受。扬说：“这就像是一支复杂的舞蹈。”

But thats not the end of the ice cream story.

不过，冰淇淋的故事并未就此结束。

Ice cream “addiction” can be brand-specific

人们可能会对特定品牌的冰淇淋“上瘾”

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.”

扬解释说，就算获得一款畅销冰淇淋的完整配方和调味细节，也不能保证“复制”出来的产品在味道上能与那款畅销冰淇淋一模一样。换句话说，任何特定品牌的产品都始终保持着自身特色。品质如一至关重要，因此西维尔每天都在确保品牌推出的产品“在人力所及范围内尽可能地保持不变，以便消费者总能获得相同的感官体验”。

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让人垂涎的冰淇淋，从中获得的那份愉悦终究有其意义，大家说对吗？