THE battle to extract that last dollop of tomato ketchup or mayonnaise from the bottle may soon be over thanks to American scientists who have developed a new non-stick coating.
Consumers all have their own techniques, some wiggle a knife in the jar, others simply bang and squeeze. Some have even been known to use a dash of vinegar to swirl out the very last drop.
It’s not just sauces; extracting toothpaste and beauty products from plastic containers can be a tricky process too as the contents stick stubbornly to the sides of the tube.
The coating innovation was developed in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and it sits between the product and the packaging creating a slippery surface that enables all the contents to simply slide out saving waste as well as shoppers hard-earned money. LiquiGlide was founded in 2012 by PhD student Dave Smith and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Kripa Varanasi to commercialise MIT’s patented liquid-impregnated surface technology.
“All viscous liquids are at some point either made or stored in a tank, and most are sold in packages. The fact that they stick to the surfaces of these containers frustrates both companies and consumers,” said Professor Kripa.
Tests by consumer experts found that much of what we buy never makes it out of the container and is instead thrown away - up to a quarter of skin lotion, 16 per cent of laundry detergent and 15 per cent of condiments like mustard and ketchup.
New patents have been awarded to the company allowing it to commercialise the technology and provide these benefits to an even broader customer base. From paint manufacturing, to better packaging for consumer goods, to oil and gas infrastructure, LiquiGlide aims to deliver coatings that work and are safe across a myriad of consumer and industrial applications.
“We want to make an impact around the world and across industries, even creating new sectors focused solely on liquid-impregnated surfaces,” the company states on its website. “What the wheel was to transportation, LiquiGlide is to liquids – it changes the way liquids move. Not only do we want to revolutionise consumer packaging, reduce waste and create efficiencies, we are motivated to save lives and improve the world, one application at a time.”
Earlier this year the company announced it had raised a further $16million in new financing and will use the capital to grow its existing packaging business while also accelerating the commercialisation of new coating applications in the industrial and food manufacturing markets.
An earlier infusion of funds to the tune of $7 million allowed the company to secure commercial deals, build a state-of-the-art laboratory and office space and attract top scientists.
The technology could also have major environmental payoffs by reducing waste. “In a few years, we expect it to be ubiquitous,” added David, the graduate student turned chief executive.
