Food technology

Soy has been a kitchen hero in Asia for centuries, packed with nutrition and health perks but many Western eaters shy away due to their "beany" taste, perceiving them as grassy and earthy. So can scientists engineer a new kind of tasty soy bean?

A chance discovery in a US cheese cave has given scientists a rare glimpse of evolution in real time – and the surprise findings have huge potential for protecting human health, enhancing food security and even delivering new flavors to turophiles.

Following on from last year's 34th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize, the 35th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize night took place at Boston University this week, celebrating the joy of science: Real research with some delightfully sideways paths of investigation.

Scientists have hacked the meaning of a "light meal," creating microlasers that use natural products to emit beams through food. They're also completely safe to eat. It's the first demonstration of laser emission from an entirely edible system.

In a comprehensive new study looking at 39,763 different foods and drinks from the biggest 25 companies in the country, scientists discovered that almost 20% rely on synthetic food dyes to attract consumers. Now, the fight is on to ban them for good.

Adding new meaning to the term "fusion cuisine," robot science and gastronomy united to create an elaborate cake that features edible components and the world's first edible rechargeable battery. (Well, it's rechargeable until you eat it.)

Ultraviolet light is well-known for its ability to kill germs, including ones that cause food to spoil. And while there doesn't tend to be any food-preserving UV light in our refrigerators, a new consumer device is out to change that.

No sick days, bathroom breaks, and no more curly hairs in your buns. Just cold, hard efficiency. More specifically, BurgerBot is a new fast-food joint where robots are doing all the work that humans aren't interested in, like burger assembly lines.

If you've ever eaten a pomegranate, you'll know that a great deal of the fruit is composed of its thick skin – which simply gets thrown away. Soon, however, that skin could be used in an edible coating which will help keep strawberries from spoiling.

Scientists have identified new gene modifications that can make tomatoes and eggplants grow bigger, which could help boost yields in developing countries.

VR is incredibly immersive for sight and sound, touch can be done, and even smell is starting to appear. That just leaves one sense – and whether or not anyone actually wants to taste virtual worlds, a new device is now tackling that final frontier.

Take control of your food and water safety with the first-of-its-kind EcoTracker, a user-friendly pocket-sized device that almost instantly assesses contaminants in fruits, vegetables and meats, as well as the quality of your drinking water.