Ice that cannot melt is here, scientists invent jelly ice to make life easy for you

For centuries, ice has served as the go-to method for keeping food, drinks, and medical supplies cold, but it always comes with a messy drawback: meltwater. Now, researchers at the University of California have developed an alternative called “jelly ice” that stays frozen and keeps items cold.

The innovation comes from researcher Jiahan Zou and materials scientist Gang Sun, who created a one-step process to make reusable, compostable cooling slabs from gelatin, the same protein that gives jiggly desserts their texture. Unlike traditional ice, the gelatin-based material holds water in tiny pores, allowing it to freeze and thaw without leaking.

“Compared to regular ice of the same shape and size, jelly ice has up to 80 percent of the cooling efficiency, the amount of heat the gel can absorb through phase change,” says Zou. “And we can reuse the material and maintain the heat absorbance across multiple freeze-thaw cycles, so that’s an advantage compared to regular ice.”


The inspiration for jelly ice came from grocery store seafood displays. Food scientist Luxin Wang noticed meltwater from ice spreading across products and potentially carrying pathogens. Zou and Sun sought a material that could keep things cold while preventing contamination, a challenge they approached by studying the water-retaining properties of frozen tofu and applying the principle to gelatin hydrogels.

Jelly ice can be produced in 1-pound slabs, similar to commercial cold gel packs, but without synthetic polymers or microplastics. Early experiments even showed that composted jelly ice could improve plant growth when applied to soil, highlighting its eco-friendly potential.

The team sees applications beyond food preservation, including medical shipping, biotechnology, and use in regions where water is scarce for making traditional ice. Licenses for the technology are already in place, and Zou hopes jelly ice will eventually be available as a consumer-friendly, meltwater-free, food-safe alternative.

Zou is also exploring other natural biopolymers, such as soy proteins, to create sustainable coatings and scaffolds for lab-grown meat.

In my research, I realized how powerful Mother Nature is in designing biopolymers and the vast possibilities they offer,” says Zou. “I believe there will be amazing products derived from biopolymers as the materials themselves are teaching us how to work with them.”

Zou will present her latest findings on jelly ice and protein-based biopolymers at the American Chemical Society’s Fall 2025 meeting, taking place August 17-21.