Researchers create ice cream to honor NMSU’s new president

Everyone, of course, has their favorite flavor of ice cream. But what about the newly christened leader of New Mexico’s 137-year-old land-grant institution?

Look no further than the caramelized pecan- and biscotti concoction developed for New Mexico State University President Valerio Ferme by researchers from NMSU’s Center of Excellence in Sustainable Foods and Agricultural Systems, or CESFAS.

The creamy vanilla ice cream pays homage to Ferme’s Italian heritage and new ties to New Mexico, a top pecan-producing state. It’s called The Ferme Paradox and made its public debut earlier this month to enthusiastic praise from Ferme after weeks of research and development by a team headed by Sergio Martinez-Monteagudo.

“This ice cream is wonderful, of course – but it’s much more than that,” Ferme said. “It’s a brilliant way to showcase the incredible consumer-driven food science research being done in our College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and to make hands-on learning fun and engaging for our graduate students.”

Martinez-Monteagudo, an associate professor of food bioprocessing, conducts research to improve the quality of ice cream and reduce waste in its production. His projects have received funding from more than a dozen companies, including Blue Bell Creameries and Blue Bunny Ice Cream. He joined NMSU in 2020 and serves dual faculty appointments in the College of ACES and College of Engineering.

Last fall, after the NMSU Board of Regents selected Ferme to lead NMSU, Martinez-Monteagudo pitched the ice cream during a meeting to gather ideas to raise awareness of CESFAS and the Food Science and Technology program. CESFAS, a state-funded research institute, seeks to advance sustainable agriculture through interdisciplinary research.

“It was just an informal idea, and we laughed about it,” Martinez-Monteagudo said. “But we started taking it seriously after the director of the center, Dr. Omar Holguín, told us, ‘OK, let’s do this.’”

With a team of six graduate students from the Food Science and Technology and Chemical Engineering programs, Martinez-Monteagudo began formulating the ice cream. The team worked in the ACES food science dairy lab over winter break and tested eight flavors before two top contenders emerged: the pecan-and-biscotti option that eventually became The Ferme Paradox and a cookies-and-cream variation called Aggies ’n Cream.

“We all preferred the ice cream with pecans and biscotti and started playing around with the details of the final formulation until the week of the event,” he said.

Once the recipe met Martinez-Monteagudo’s standards, his students prepared nearly 25 liters of the ice cream for the Feb. 6 unveiling and tasting event in Gerald Thomas Hall. He describes The Ferme Paradox as a premium ice cream with a fat content between 10% and 12%, which accounts for its extra creamy texture.

More than four dozen Aggies sampled the ice cream during the event, including its namesake. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, which came at no surprise to Martinez-Monteagudo.

“If you work in ice cream, you know that it’s really, really hard to make a bad product,” he said. “So, I knew people would like it. But I didn’t expect to run out of ice cream. I was expecting some leftovers to take home, but there was nothing left.”

So, what does the future hold for NMSU’s first presidential ice cream? Martinez-Monteagudo and CESFAS are working to bring it to market to sell it on campus. But that may take several weeks, he cautioned.

“Right now, people are excited and interested, and we have good momentum,” he said. “We’re working to get everything in order over the next month or so.”

In the meantime, he believes the ice cream served its original purpose of bringing awareness to CESFAS and the Food Science and Technology program. 

“By making this ice cream, we’re increasing our visibility,” he said. “If there are external companies or even taxpayers who want to start an ice cream business, CESFAS can help. We can help develop the formulation, we can help analyze the products, and we can help with consulting.”