Lightest Dessert in the World

2020-10-2

Recently, one of the lightest desserts in the world has caught the public eye. Created by designers from London-based food design studio Bompass & Parr in collaboration with Hamburg's Aerogelex Laboratory, the cookie-like dessert is made with whipped cream and weighs less than 1g per cookie, making it the lightest dessert in the world.

 

The dessert weighing less than one gram, is crafted based on the principles of aerogel, recognized as the lightest solid material in existence.

Aerogel, also referred to as dry gel, is a solid state of matter with a density of 3 kilograms per cubic meter, rendering it the least dense solid known to date. It was pioneered in 1931 by American scientist Samuel Koestler and his associate Charles Ludd. 

Characterized by its appearance resembling solid smoke, aerogel not only boasts an exceptionally low weight but also serves as an outstanding insulator; thus, it finds extensive applications in aerospace exploration.

Designers at Bompass & Parr have created the world's lightest dessert by mimicking the principles of aerogel.

 

Aerogel can be made from a variety of materials, but this dessert is made from globulin proteins found in egg whites. The meringues were made in a slightly different way than usual, starting with an egg white hydrogel, which was cast in a mold, then dipped in calcium chloride and water solution and shaped.

 The liquid in the meringue gel is replaced by liquid carbon dioxide, which is converted to gas in a supercritical drying process, and finally the gas is removed from the final product, leaving only the skeleton of the original gel. In this case, the final product is an egg white dessert that contains 96% air and weighs only 1 gram.

The dessert was showcased at the Ithra Creative Season, which took place at the King Abdulaziz World Cultural Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia from October 10th to 26th.

 

Bompa &Parr is known for its experimental approach to food, including non-melting popsicles, vegan hotel suites, and a whiskey tasting experience involving a church organ that enhances the perception of different flavors by producing sound and lighting effects. Since the main ingredient of this dessert is air, the studio Boompas&Parr describes it as "the taste of the sky."