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MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

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Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#41
post #39
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or they'll just reduce the quantity of food in the bottle in addition to marketing it as "easy-access" or "lower wastage" on the label.

If they do that, then their price/(qty|mass|volume) label, mandated in US supermarkets next to the unit price, will shoot up.

And? If that was really important, only those products with the lowest number would sell any units.

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#42

> "We had a limited amount of materials to pick from," Smith says. "I can’t say what they are, but we’ve patented the hell out of it." Wait wait wait, someone needs to explain to them what the intent of a patent actually is.

I'm sure they've used some unique combination, treatment and application of those materials to create this effect.

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#43
post #34
post #9

Perhaps this is ignorance, but I do not want this anywhere near my food. The FDA's said a lot of things are non-toxic over the years.

This effect could be achieved with a "standard" superhydrophobic coating (or superhydrophilic for oil-based condiments). Those can be easily done with something like a nanostructured silica film (without having to functionalize the coating with additional chemicals), and silica is a very common food additive (fumed silica is already added to ketchup in fact to alter its flow properties)

Nanostructures may be likely, considering the group's recent (but different) patent: http://www.google.com/patents?id=JBoFAgAAEBAJ&printsec=a...

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#44
I would like to see this applied to the inside of engine oil bottles so that I'm not tossing out a few ounces of expensive synthetic every time I change my oil. Assuming it's inert and stable at temperature, I'd also like to see it inside the oil pan and oil galleys inside the engine.

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#45
post #42

> "We had a limited amount of materials to pick from," Smith says. "I can’t say what they are, but we’ve patented the hell out of it." Wait wait wait, someone needs to explain to them what the intent of a patent actually is.

I'm sure they've used some unique combination, treatment and application of those materials to create this effect.

That’s not the point. If you patent it, you make that process public. That’s the intention behind patents. They were supposed to give inventors an incentive to publish how their inventions work while still protecting them.

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#46
post #12

The secret to getting ketchup out is to give it a good shake, then hit the heel of your hand "upwards" on the top of the bottle, near where the neck meets the body (on the 57 or not, doesn't really matter). The upward force is what counts, and it somehow gets the ketchup to come out relatively smoothly. Most people strike downwards, and that's why it doesn't work. If you don't believe me, try it! Learned this trick f…

My "secret" is to hold the bottle in my hand and swing my arm in a large arc, using centrifugal forces to pull the ketchup towards the mouth of the bottle.

(With the cap on, obviously).

SCIENCE

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#47

Hmm I wonder if in the case of ketchup/condiments this will initially be less successful than we think. Your going to have to get consumers to learn to not accidentally dump half the bottle out when turning it over and shaking it like you would with today's ketchup. This sounds easy but think of all the elderly folks eating at their favorite local diner. I think the challenge may actually be in making it less slipper…

Not sure if you watched the mayo video as well, but I think if all the bottles were squeeze-type, it would solve this problem pretty well.

Without the slippery coating though you end up with either that slamming motion or a toothpaste tube effect

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#48
post #42

> "We had a limited amount of materials to pick from," Smith says. "I can’t say what they are, but we’ve patented the hell out of it." Wait wait wait, someone needs to explain to them what the intent of a patent actually is.

I'm sure they've used some unique combination, treatment and application of those materials to create this effect.

Which is exactly what the patent is supposed to describe, in detail.

Take X, Do Y, Add special sauce Z. We have patented this method biatches, no touchies.

Re: MIT’s Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing

#49
post #42

> "We had a limited amount of materials to pick from," Smith says. "I can’t say what they are, but we’ve patented the hell out of it." Wait wait wait, someone needs to explain to them what the intent of a patent actually is.

I'm sure they've used some unique combination, treatment and application of those materials to create this effect.

The point of a patent is that you must disclose the method in return for a limited monopoly.

It's to encourage the sharing of techniques!

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