Unraveled, chaotic meals could be a thing of the past for burrito lovers thanks to a group of engineering students from Johns Hopkins University and their lunch-saving invention.
Dubbed ‘Tastee Tape’, the invention is simply edible sticky tape designed to hold a burrito together while it’s being eaten.
‘Tastee Tape allows you to put full faith in your tortilla and enjoy your meal, mess-free,’ said Tyler Guarino, who led the project.
Unraveled, chaotic meals could be a thing of the past for burrito lovers thanks to a group of engineering students from Johns Hopkins University and their lunch-saving invention. Dubbed ‘Tastee Tape’, the invention is simply edible sticky tape designed to hold a burrito together while it’s being eaten
Inspired by their own experiences with messy lunches, the students created Tastee Tape – an edible adhesive comprising a food-grade fibrous scaffold and an organic adhesive.
‘First, we learned about the science around tape and different adhesives, and then we worked to find edible counterparts,’ said Mr Guarino.
The team tested a ‘multitude’ of ingredients and combinations before settling on a final recipe.
The tape is edible, safe, and has the tensile strength you can trust to hold together a well-filled burrito, taco or gyro, according to the team.
Because they are applying for a patent, the inventors are yet to disclose their secret formula.
‘What I can say is that all its ingredients are safe to consume, are food grade, and are common food and dietary additives,’ Mr Guarino reassured.
The team spent months prototyping, before deciding on a rectangular strip design, measuring half an inch by two inches.
These strips come affixed to sheets of waxed paper.
To use them, diners simply remove a strip from the sheet, wet it thoroughly to activate, and apply it to their lunch, dinner, or favourite snack.
The team members put their invention to the test on ‘too many burritos to count,’ but are confident in the quality of their product.
Unfortunately, it currently remains unclear how much the edible tape will cost, or when it will be available to purchase.
Its invention comes shortly after fast-food chain Chipotle – famous for its delicious burritos – began testing a robot chef called Chippy to make its tortilla chips.
The tape is edible, safe, and has the tensile strength you can trust to hold together a well-filled burrito, taco or gyro, according to the team
Chippy was developed in collaboration with Pasadena-based startup Miso Robotics, which is best known for its other robotic chef, Flippy, which can flip up to 300 burgers a day.
To make sure Chippy creates the perfect tortilla chips, Miso Robotics trained it with Chipotle’s exact recipe – corn masa flour, water and sunflower oil, as well as a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice after cooking.
Nevielle Panthaky, Vice President of Culinary at Chipotle, said: ‘Everyone loves finding a chip with a little more salt or an extra hint of lime.
‘To ensure we didn’t lose the humanity behind our culinary experience, we trained Chippy extensively to ensure the output mirrored our current product, delivering some subtle variations in flavor that our guests expect.’
Chipotle hires a robotic chef
Chippy (pictured at the back of this test kitchen) will initially be tested at Chipotle’s innovation hub in Irvine, California, before being integrated into a restaurant in Southern California later this year
It’s the go-to fast food restaurant for Mexican fans, and now Chipotle has announced its latest employee – a robot chef called Chippy.
Chippy will be tasked with making Chipotle’s famous tortilla chips, using artificial intelligence to perfect the chain’s exact recipe.
‘Our goal is to drive efficiencies through collaborative robotics that will enable Chipotle’s crew members to focus on other tasks in the restaurant,’ said Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer at Chipotle.
Chippy has been developed in collaboration with Pasadena-based startup Miso Robotics, which is best known for its other robotic chef, Flippy, which can flip up to 300 burgers a day.
To make sure Chippy creates the perfect tortilla chips, Miso Robotics trained it with Chipotle’s exact recipe – corn masa flour, water and sunflower oil, as well as a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice after cooking.
Nevielle Panthaky, Vice President of Culinary at Chipotle, said: ‘Everyone loves finding a chip with a little more salt or an extra hint of lime.
‘To ensure we didn’t lose the humanity behind our culinary experience, we trained Chippy extensively to ensure the output mirrored our current product, delivering some subtle variations in flavor that our guests expect.’
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