Shape-shifting noodles could save food shipping costs

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology US (MIT) have concocted something akin to edible origami, in the form of flat sheets of gelatin and starch that, when submerged in water, instantly sprout into three-dimensional structures, including common pasta shapes such as macaroni and rotini.
They describe their shape-morphing creations as not only culinary performance art, but also a practical way to reduce food-shipping costs. For instance, the edible films could be stacked together and shipped to consumers, then morph into their final shape later, when immersed in water. An article about the research is published in Explorative Engineering (News Item MIT, 24 May 2017).
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Click here for the published article (2.54 MB).

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