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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
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STRESS RELIEF
MOOD ICE CREAM CHANGES COLOR AS IT MELTS
Physicist Manuel Linares took a course in ice cream making, which includ-
ed encouraging students to make a new flavor—so he decided to make one that
changes color. The 37-year-old Spaniard studied physics and engineering before
deciding to become a cook and was able to create the new ice cream called Xa-
maleon. The ice cream turns from blue to purple as it starts to melt. He is stay-
ing tight-lipped over the secret behind how the color change works in his recipe
but notes, “As a physicist, I know that there are various possibilities that might
work and I was delighted when I managed to crack it and create an ice cream
that changes color.” Further details will become available as soon as the patent
process is complete.
SAUTÉING IN SPACE
What would it be like to stir-fry in space? A bit messy, according to researchers
at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., who recently conducted the first partial gravity
cooking on record. Postdoctoral research associates in the lab of associate profes-
sor Jean Hunter recently boarded a zero gravity G-Force 1 space simulator plane to
test the effectiveness of a specially constructed space galley jointly designed with
Makel Engineering, Chico, Calif.
In a series of four flights launched from Houston, the team tossed tofu and
shredded potatoes into pans of sizzling oil and filmed the oil splatters as the plane
climbed and dove in parabolic paths. Each cycle created a brief period of partial
weightlessness, simulating conditions astronauts would face during extended
stays on the moon or Mars. Strips of paper were positioned inside the galley fume
hood, and the oil was dyed bright red in order to see and collect splatter patterns.
Under reduced gravity conditions, food settled more slowly into the pan, and more oil appeared to fall outside of it. Oil droplets
also traveled a greater distance from the pan than under Earth conditions—probably because it took longer for gravity to pull them
down, say researchers.
The team collected 200 red-speckled strips that could contribute to understanding the science of space cuisine. They are now
being analyzed to measure size distribution and distance traveled. Results will be used to create computer models that could be
extrapolated for the design of future terrestrial and extraterrestrial cooking technology.
USING MARILYN MONROE TO CATCH COUNTERFEIT DRUGS
Counterfeit drugs, which at best contain wrong doses and at worst are toxic,
are thought to kill more than 700,000 people each year. While less than 1% per-
cent of the U.S. pharmaceuticals market is believed to be counterfeit, it is a huge
problem in the developing world where as much as one third of the available
medicine is fake. To combat counterfeiting, researchers at University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, and in South Korea developed a way to make labels that change when
you breathe on them, revealing a hidden image—in this instance, Marilyn Monroe.
The method requires access to sophisticated equipment that creates very
tiny features, roughly 500 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Once the
template is made, labels can be printed in large rolls at a cost of roughly one dol-
lar per square inch, offering an affordable way to protect brand reputations and
ensure consumer safety. For more information: Nicholas Kotov, 734.763.8768,
,
Apollo Arquiza shows what the galley kitchen
looks like in the zero gravity G-Force 1 space
simulator plane.
An outline of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic face ap-
pears on a clear, plastic filmwhen a researcher
fogs it with her breath.
A new kind of ice cream created by a physicist
changes color as it melts.