SEPTEMBER 2008: NEXT
Admit it. Peeling those little stickers off fruits and veggies
is annoying. And those pesky labels waste paper and ink, too.
They bugged Dr. Qingyue Ling enough that he’s adapted
laser technology to find a way to get rid of them. Two years
ago Ling, a researcher at Oregon State University’s Food
Innovation Center in Portland, investigated the idea and, to
his astonishment, discovered nobody had thought of it.
“My mind went wild,” he says. Ling’s food
laser is a heat-energy beam that rapidly peels away the surface
layer of the item; the strength of the laser can adjust for
varying textures and thicknesses so it minimizes any damage to
the food. But don’t expect to see laser-labeled produce
for at least a couple of years. More study is needed on how it
alters the composition of food and what, if any, effect it has
on humans when the food is eaten. Work also is being done on a
clear, edible coating that immediately seals the lasered label
to retain freshness. Now all we need is an invention that
eradicates those pesky tax collectors.
JASON SHUFFLER
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