In a delicious event, scientists successfully used the optical elements of olive oil to create the first microplastic made entirely from edible materials. If commercialized, they can provide an easy and safe way to monitor food or medications in your body.
The technology was introduced earlier this month Advanced Optical Materialstakes advantage of an interesting trend of common edible oil droplets, which emits photons when subjected to a certain amount of energy. Arrange multiple drops in a room filled with mirrors and they will glow brighter – just like a concentrated beam.
The researchers tested more than a dozen different types of materials (e-liquid, cooked butter, pure water, etc.) to see which ones will produce the cleanest laser. The winner is olive oil.
A prominent component of olive oil is chlorophyll, the most common molecule that makes plants green. In this case, chlorophyll molecules are trapped on the viscous surface of olive oil, photons produced in various chain reactions, converting droplets of olive oil into lasers.
The brightness of chlorophyll varies according to the size and density of oil droplets, making the laser highly sensitive to environmental conditions. For example, adding it to different food dishes and watching the changes in the laser allows researchers to measure things like sugar concentration or acidity, etc.
More importantly, the researchers were able to encode data in droplets similar to barcode lines as peach coptote. Surprisingly, the data (the specific date on April 26, 2017 happens to be the date for international food waste) has been intact for more than one year, indicating the potential of Weiluo Shishi to carry information safely, such as the identity of the manufacturer or the expiration date.
“Since this is the first such study, there are many possibilities for developing various edible lasers and their applications, and ultimately finding ways to use them on a daily basis,” the study authors concluded.
