Who knew that slime could be such a pest? Also known as biofilm, that slimy bacteria that builds up on food and in the kitchen makes millions of people sick every year. And not just in developing countries with poor sanitation. Slime is the root cause of many bacterial infections that won’t go away. But an American immigrant to Israel thinks he’s got a solution — already patented and being developed into a product to ensure that fruits and vegetables will be safer to consume by the time they reach your table.

Using a molecule that was created at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, graduate student Michael Brandwein devised a slime-resistant coating that can interfere with, or stop, the genetic processes in bacteria that cause slime build-up. Working under Prof. Doron Steinberg from the Biofilm Research Laboratory of the Hebrew University’s Dental Faculty, Brandwein was awarded a Kaye Innovation Award during the 77th annual meeting of the Hebrew University Board of Governors last June for his team’s ability to decrease slime buildup by about 60 percent on plastic and glass surfaces, and by about 95% on cardboard. “We discovered that cardboard boxes are really healthy for bacteria,” he jokes, noting that the addition of a polymer coating even without TZD decreases bacterial formation. Together with TZD, the rates are astonishing.

The TZD-and-polymer liquid made in the Hebrew University lab will be sold for $2 to $3 dollars per liter, and it can be applied in a very thin layer onto the surface of the cardboard, Brandwein tells ISRAEL21c. In the future, he envisions it will be used on meat and poultry packaging, and even possibly to coat the outside hulls of a ship to reduce resistance due to slime buildup at sea. (via Israel21c)

[Photo: Ruth and Dave / Flickr]