LiquiGlide, the new surface adds lubrication to containers to make thicker food substances flow out easily.
CAMBRIDGE, US: Researchers at MIT have developed LiquiGlide, a new surface that will add lubrication to containers to make thicker food substances flow out easily. When a ketchup bottle is nearly finished, it is a usual practice to keep tapping the neck of the container to get the last bits to flow out. The squeezable plastic bottles also work, but toward the end they just splatter around a lot.
Reseachers from Varanasi Research Group gathered up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology labs to develop LiquiGlide, a non-stick coating for food packaging that will help substances flow out of the containers more seamlessly. Considering the thick consistency of condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, the new way to make food packaging easier for those substances to glide out may really have an impact on diners, restaurants, and fast food chains and how much they can save.
The LiquiGlide surface is developed to have a liquid-like lubrication to make condiments simply flow, yet maintain a rigid exterior to keep the substance safely inside. The coating can also be applied to surfaces like plastic and glass by spray coverage.
LiquiGlide has been patented since its prototype release and FDA-approved materials to not tamper with food safety. All that’s left is marketing to major bottle manufacturing companies so together, they can end food waste and annoying, violent shakes to get the last bits of condiments out. “The market for just the sauce bottles alone is $17 billion and if all those bottles had our coating, we estimate that we could save about one million tonne of food from being thrown out every year,” said Dave Smith, PhD, members of the LiquiGlide project, MIT.
© MIT News