Our morning routine often involves a shot of caffeine and during the day, whatever the reasons, we may need it again (and again) for an instant boost. But too much caffeine may cause an unpleasant nervousness. That's why Nestlé is looking for a way for the caffeine to be released more constantly rather than in one batch. To achieve this, Nestlé Research Center Lausanne's scientists are collaborating with the EPFL's (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy and EPFL's Institute of Cancer Research, as well as the Department of Health Science & Technology of ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Zurich.
And they just discovered a technique that "can 'see' inside dispersed cubosomes (dispersed cubic liquid crystalline phases) with unprecedented detail. The breakthrough can help to improve their design significantly for better drug or nutrient delivery", as the EPFL explains, these cubosomes being “small biological 'capsules' that can deliver molecules of nutrients or drugs with high efficiency. This also means that cubosomes are safe to use in living organisms."
The aim is now to see how it is possible to use the cubosome's structure to deliver nutrients, medication or, precisely, caffeine, in a controlled and safe fashion. So, one day may be, we won't need more than just one cup of coffee in the morning, and still benefit from its boost all through the day.
Photo: 3D reconstruction of a cubosome obtained with CET. Scale bar: 40 nm ©Davide Demurtas/EPFL
News in the same category
Boston will soon get it's very own Vivi Bubble Tea store. Located in the Brighton Centre, in Brighton, the store will replace Wah Foong Electronics, which have been based in the centre for more than a decade.
Those with a sweet tooth will love the latest announcement from Cold Stone Creamery. The hugely popular ice cream parlour chain will be opening up for business in Ankeny, Iowa and Altoona, Pennsylvania.
How about having your Amazon purchases delivered within 30 minutes by a drone? It's not going to happen tomorrow, but we're getting there.
Philz Coffee is to open its first Chicago outlet in Wicker Park soon. This San Fransisco-based company has many fans and the actual Wicker Park opening date is Saturday, June 22 2019.
