A technology research partnership announced on Sept. 16 may have a major impact on our future beauty and grocery shelves. Could we taste anti-aging ice cream by 2015?

Unilever, the vast global company behind many home, food, and personal care products, shook hands with Ampere Life Sciences, a new biotechnology group, sealing a five-year exclusive contract. Together, their research teams will pursue anti-aging product development, focusing on antioxidants.

Unilever's public statement noted that they hope to "build differentiated antioxidant-containing products spanning multiple product categories." Translation: they could reach beyond skin-care labels like Dove to Unilever's many food brands, from Ben & Jerry's to Barilla.

There has been a surge of interest in antioxidant-rich foods for both their health and anti-aging benefits. With this partnership, Unilever might concoct all sorts of beauty-boosting bites.

Imagine the potential for the product names! Wrinkle-free Raspberry Sorbet? Plumpcheek Peanut Butter? Defeat Crow's Feet Fettucine with Radiance Ragù?

In a few years' time, we may have to revise French film star Catherine Deneuve's famous beauty dictum, roughly translated as "After a certain age, you have to choose between your fanny or your face."

If Unilever succeeds in engineering food with serious anti-aging powers, that choice may be moot.

Click here for a roundup of top anti-aging products to try in the meantime.