4.6692016 | Biodesign Sprint 2022 [Runner Up, Student]

Summary

The video introduces an innovative design for sugarware, inspired by sugar cane, which is a major source of global sugar production. The design incorporates stackable spoons made from bagasse, enhancing taste through a mechanism that stimulates sweetness receptors without using sugar or artificial sweeteners. The concept explores the potential to reduce environmental impacts of sugar production, such as water usage and biodiversity loss, while offering a healthier alternative to traditional sugar. The next steps include technological breakthroughs to refine the sensory features and improve efficiency for practical use.

Takeaways

• 😀 The design structure of the sugar wear ties is inspired by sugar cane, which accounts for 79% of global sugar production.
• 😀 Sugar wear is a stackable taste-enhancing spoon designed as an artificial sweetener substitute, made from bagasse (a by-product of sugar production).
• 😀 The spoon features a screw mechanism with a leaf spindle enclosed within a shape that mimics sugar cane, creating a spike shape along with its growth.
• 😀 The stackability of the spoon enhances its functionality, enabling multiple uses while creating possibilities for different applications.
• 😀 The spoon has bumps on the bottom that will interact with taste spots, inspired by the sensory stimulation concept by Studio Jing Hon.
• 😀 To enhance taste further, a coating with specific ligands could be applied to these bumps, simulating sweetness receptors without using sugar or artificial sweeteners.
• 😀 Research identifies several compounds, such as glucose, sucrose, saccharin, and others, that can trigger sweetness receptors T1R2 and T1R3, essential for sweetness perception.
• 😀 Natural caloric sugars and artificial sweeteners activate different pathways in the brain, with saccharin activating both pathways, suggesting a complex interaction between them.
• 😀 The product offers a potential environmental benefit by reducing the need for cane sugar production, which is associated with biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and high water usage.
• 😀 Replacing cane sugar with this product could reduce the water footprint, as it takes 210 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cane sugar.
• 😀 Future research is required to develop a permanent coating layer on the spoon to ensure efficiency and longevity while optimizing the two sweet-sensing pathways (CM/PKA and PLC beta 2/IP3).

Q & A

What is the design structure of Sugar Wear Ties inspired by?

The design structure of Sugar Wear Ties is inspired by the shape of sugar cane, a plant that accounts for 79% of global sugar production.

How does the stackable feature of the spoon enhance its functionality?

The stackable feature of the spoon allows for multiple uses and enhances its versatility, making it more practical for different purposes.

What unique mechanism is used in the Sugar Wear Ties design?

The design incorporates screw mechanisms with a leaf spindle, enclosed within the shape of a sugar cane leaf, creating a spike shape along with its growth.

What is the purpose of the bumps on the bottom of the spoon?

The bumps on the bottom of the spoon are designed to be touched by taste spots, enhancing sensory stimulation and potentially improving taste experiences.

How does the addition of a lens coating impact the spoon's functionality?

By adding a lens coating to the bumps, the spoon increases the surface contact with taste receptors, which may simulate a sweet taste without actual sugar or artificial sweeteners.

What are some potential ligands that trigger sweet taste receptors?

Potential ligands include natural sugars like glucose and sucrose, as well as artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame, and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone.

What difference exists between the pathways triggered by natural sugars and artificial sweeteners?

Natural sugars trigger sweet receptors via the influx of calcium ions in the CM and PKA pathways, while artificial sweeteners induce calcium ion release through the IP3-mediated pathway.

How do natural sugars and artificial sweeteners affect the brain differently?

Natural sugars activate brain reward areas such as the dopaminergic midbrain, while non-caloric artificial sweeteners do not have the same effect on brain reward areas.

What environmental impact would replacing cane sugar with Sugar Wear have?

Replacing cane sugar with Sugar Wear could reduce environmental impacts, including biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and water footprint associated with sugar cane production.

What challenges need to be overcome for Sugar Wear to become a viable product?

Technological breakthroughs are required to develop a permanent layer that can attach to the spoon. Researchers need to focus on targeting the sweet-sensing pathways, including the CM/PKA pathway and the PLC beta 2/IP3 pathway, for successful application.