Cornetto ice creams by Bompas & Parr glow in the dark
Food design studio Bompas & Parr has created luminescent ice cream so cinema-goers can see their snacks in the dark.
![Glow-in-the-dark Cornettos by Bompas and Parr](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Glow-in-the-dark_Cornettos_by_Bompas_and_Parr_dezeen_sq.jpg)
Bompas & Parr designed the treats for ice cream brand Cornetto to feature the iconic waffle cone and chocolate top but with a glowing yellow filling.
"The team at Cornetto wanted to do a cinema-based snack that you can eat and still see in the cinema without disrupting the film," co-founder Sam Bompas told Dezeen.
![Glow-in-the-dark Cornettos by Bompas and Parr](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Glow-in-the-dark_Cornettos_by_Bompas_and_Parr_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
To make the ice cream glow, the designers impregnated it with riboflavin – or vitamin B2 – which luminesces under certain wavelengths of light.
UV light was shone into the cinema to illuminate the ice cream without impairing the view of the screen.
Riboflavin has a bitter taste, but this was masked by the amount of sugar and fat in the mint chocolate-chip ice cream.
![Glow-in-the-dark Cornettos by Bompas and Parr](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Glow-in-the-dark_Cornettos_by_Bompas_and_Parr_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
"This is something we've been experimenting with for a long time," Sam Bompas told Dezeen.
The team has since taken the idea further and created a series of dessert sauces that are infused with glowing luciferin enzymes from genetically modified bacteria.
![Glow-in-the-dark Cornettos by Bompas and Parr](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Glow-in-the-dark_Cornettos_by_Bompas_and_Parr_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
"This is something quite special," Bompas said. "Using the same enzyme that fireflies and jellyfish use to fluoresce, that we use to make a fancy sauce for the dessert."
The enzyme doesn't require UV light to glow and can be seen in food under normal light conditions.
![Glow-in-the-dark Cornettos by Bompas and Parr](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Glow-in-the-dark_Cornettos_by_Bompas_and_Parr_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
"There's no trickery, you just put a drop in and you see the fluorescence blossom in front of you," said Bompas. "It's totally organic and natural, if you're okay with genetically modified organisms."
These projects follow a series of glow-in-the-dark jellies that Bompas & Parr created for an exhibition at SFMoMA, made using tonic water, which contains quinine that luminesces under a UV light.
![Glow-in-the-dark Cornettos by Bompas and Parr](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/08/Glow-in-the-dark_Cornettos_by_Bompas_and_Parr_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
"Since then, we've developed a whole series of techniques and ingredients to make food glow beautifully and still taste delicious," said Bompas.
The studio has previously come up with a musical spoon that you listen to through your mouth and a set of handmade bowls to match five new flavours of Heinz baked beans.