Scientists Discover a Way To Get Every Last Drop of Ketchup Out of the Bottle (bbc.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Wednesday February 22, 2017 @10:00PM from the karate-chop dept.

Slashdot reader schwit1 quotes a report from BBC: Scientists in Boston have found a way to get every last drop of ketchup out of the bottle. They have developed a coating that makes bottle interiors super slippery. The coating can also be used to make it easier to squeeze out the contents of other containers, such as those holding toothpaste, cosmetics and even glue. The researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believe that their innovation could dramatically reduce waste. In its manufacture, the container must first be coated on the inside with a rough surface. A very thin layer is then placed over this. And, finally, a liquid is added that fills in any troughs to form a very slippery surface -- like an oily floor. The ketchup hovers on top and just glides out of the bottle. According to Prof Kripa Varanasi, who developed the slippery surface, the technology is completely safe. "The cool thing about it is that because the coating is a composite of solid and liquid, it can be tailored to the product. So for food, we make the coating out of food-based materials and so you can actually eat it."

schwit1 adds: "Pretty slick."

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How is this different... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-02-22 22:28 · Score: 5, Interesting

...from the news from five years ago?
http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/nano-coating-ketchup-bottle-23-05-2012
Re:yes, this is of utmost importance by dbIII · 2017-02-23 01:43 · Score: 3, Interesting

because throwing a tablespoon of catsup (or ketchup) away in an almost empty bottle is such a crime and a waste
Some people (like me) whose parents grew up during wartime or similar were brought up to think exactly that. A bit of water in the bottle, shake it up and throw it in when making pasta sauce or similar calms that irrational food wasting guilt by getting the last bit out of a normal bottle.

I think the article is an example of a journalist saying "how can we use this in the home" when asking about a new scientific advance. Applied uses may end up really being something in minerals processing but it's harder for most to relate to that than kitchen stuff.