Microscopic bubbles — which can affect the taste, smell and feel of foods and cosmetics — can be made to last for more than a year if they are coated with a special mixture of sugary molecules, according to a study published on the 30 May in Science.

    Researchers from Harvard University and Unilever say their findings could help to extend the life of many consumer goods that contain microscopic bubbles, from ice cream to personal care products. 

    Such bubbles are hard to keep stable for long periods because they naturally gobble up smaller bubbles and grow in size. The researchers stabilised the bubbles with an insoluble coat of molecules formed from glucose syrup, sodium stearate and water.

    The collaboration started when Rodney Bee, a retired Unilever chemist, showed a microscope image of stable micro-bubbles at a conference attended by Howard Stone of Harvard. “What Rodney showed on that screen was extraordinary,” said Prof Stone. “We all thought it was impossible. 

    “I asked him how he created his foams and he said he used an ordinary kitchen mixer. The next day I went out and bought a kitchen mixer for the lab.”

    根据《科学》(Science)杂志5月30日发表的一份研究，如果给微小气泡涂上一层糖分子的特殊混合物，它们可以持续超过一年的时间。这些微小气泡可以影响食物和化妆品的口感、味感以及触感。

    来自哈佛大学(Harvard University)和联合利华(Unilever)的研究人员表示，他们的发现可以帮助许多包含微小气泡的消费品（从冰淇淋到个人护肤品）延长保质期。

    这些气泡很难长时期地保持稳定，因为它们会自然地吞食较小的气泡，然后变大。研究人员用一层分子的不可溶解的外衣稳定了这些气泡。这些分子由葡萄糖汁、硬脂酸钠和水构成。

    这次合作始自一次会议，当时罗德尼•比(Rodney Bee)在会上展示稳定微气泡的显微镜成像，而哈佛的霍华德•斯通(Howard Stone)参加了这次会议。罗德尼•比是联合利华一位退休的化学家。“罗德尼在屏幕上所展示的太神奇了，”斯通表示，“我们都觉得这是可能的。”

    “我问他是如何创造出那些气泡的，他说他用了一个普通的厨房搅拌器。第二天，我就出去买了一个供实验室用的厨房搅拌器。”