Bitesized experience visitors treated to sweet sensations
Delicious dainty desserts dazzled crowds at an interactive Imperial College event as attendees got a taste of some special chemistry creations.
By Dr William Sharratt, University of Liverpool
The Bitesized Soft Matter stand at the 'Imperial Lates' event got members of the public salivating and gave them the chance to make a trio of sweet treats.
Apple crumble, black forest ‘gateaux’ and a mango, coconut and lime ‘lassi’ were all on the menu as guests produced their own flavoured edible alginate gels.
Under the direction of Dr Liva Doñina (Imperial) and Dr William Sharratt (University of Liverpool), crowds learnt about the soft matter science and chemistry underpinning the gelation process, which converted flavoured liquids into gel spheres by immersion into a bath containing calcium ions.
Alginate is seaweed-derived and sustainable biopolymer which is finding greater application across a range of socially and environmentally conscious applications.
During the activity, a breadth of examples of the use of biopolymers (and their gels), such as alginate, were highlighted. One example explained how they can be used as a replacement to conventional petroleum-derived polymers in packaging materials or as a means to provide nutrition to people with dysphagia.
The stand at November’s event at Imperial College, London, was financially supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, with funds going towards travel for the organisers as well as the materials, ingredients and equipment to deliver it.
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