MIT Creates Superhydrophobic Condiment Bottles

An anonymous reader writes "First we had a superhydrophobic spray that meant no dirt or sweat could stick to your clothes. Then a hydrophobic nanocoating was created for circuit boards to make them water resistant. Now MIT has gone a step further and solved one of the ongoing problems of using condiments: they've figured out how to make a food-safe superhydrophobic coating for food packaging. It means ketchup and mayonnaise will no longer be stuck to the insides of the bottle, and therefore there will no longer be any waste. What's amusing is this seems to be a happy accident. The MIT team was actually investigating slippery coatings to stop gas and oil lines clogging as well as how to stop a surface from having ice form on it. Now their lab is filled with condiments for continued testing of their food-safe version."

Next step - get rid of those silly bottles

[Anonymous Coward]

Now all we need to do is get rid of those silly bottles that don't fit in the fridge, take up too much shipping space getting to the stores and clog up the recycling system. Instead we could use simple plastic bags (just like in Russia) that conveniently fit in any free space in the fridge, and don't waste space. Also, you cut the hole in the corner with scissors so you can choose how big it is (and therefore how fast it is dispensed). The bags could be biodegradable (or recyclable in bulk like paper is).

There are lots of business opportunities waiting for clever business people that travel to the former Soviet Union and think a bit about what they see. This way of dispensing mayonnaise, ketchup, yogurt and so on, makes it easy for small convenience stores to stock it all (small amount of space) which means that people don't have to drive a gas guzzler (any gasoline powered car) to do their shopping.
 

Uh-huh

[ThatsNotPudding]

And once upon a time, Teflon was considered completely inert. And a few generations earlier: asbestos.

Re:What is this stuff?

[sFurbo]

TMS'ing a surface just makes it lipophile, so fat will stick to it. If you want a chemical hydro- and lipophobe, perfluorinated hydrocarbons are the way to go (teflon, microwave popcorn bags, muffin forms, basically anything paper or board that contacts food without problems). It seems they are not that healthy, so superhydrophobic structures might be the way to go, at least for food containers. Read up on it, it is pretty cool.

Re:Next step - get rid of those silly bottles

[Anonymous Coward]

The "West" has used them continuously since at least the 1970s, assuming Canada is still allowed to be part of "The West." As in you can't find milk any other way in Ontario except cardboard for quart cartons, whose shape is already optimized for shipping.

Rigidity: You buy a 99c molded plaster pitcher that holds the thing. You put your bag in, slap the bottom of the container on the counter to seat it firmly, and then use a little cutter to remove the corner of the bag. Some of the pitchers even have a little notch that will hold the bag cutter, and all the cutters I've seen also have a magnet so you can place it on your fridge.

Ugly: Who cares? Cheaper to ship, cheaper to package, and less waste to recycle or throw away. A lot of people think the Prius is ugly too.

I moved from the US, the land of the gigantic gallon jug, to Canada, and I'm thoroughly converted on bag milk, if only for the fact that it takes up a ton less space in your fridge, since it's easier to store a bunch of pliable 1.3L containers than it is one big 3.78L jug.