yogurt
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Yomee turns dissolvable culture pods into fresh yogurt
Yogurt is at its best when it's freshly made and additive-free, which is why the more health-conscious folks prefer making this tasty snack at home instead of buying it. But yogurt-making is a messy job: you have to first heat the milk up to at least 161°F or 72°C for pasteurization separately, as pretty much all yogurt makers can't reach that temperature; and you also have to measure how much bacterial culture to put in. This is where Food-X-backed Hong Kong startup Lecker Labs comes in. Its first product, Yomee, is a machine that takes care of the entire yogurt-making process, covering high-temperature heating (reaching 185°F or 85°C), stirring, culture loading, fermentation and chilling (down to 50°F or 10°C). When ready, simply pop the cup out and enjoy.
Yogurt bacteria could replace colonoscopies for cancer detection
Let's face it: colonoscopies are pretty unpleasant. But what if you could eat a spoonful of yogurt to check for cancer rather than enduring that procedure? MIT professor Sangeeta Bhatia is working on engineered bacteria that detects colorectal cancer. After the nanoparticles pass through the digestive system, a urine sample shows results on a reactive paper -- similar to that of a pregnancy test. In addition to being much less invasive, the high-powered yogurt method doesn't require a lab full of equipment, making it an attractive alternative for poor locales. Here's to hoping scientists figure out a better way to get through a root canal next. [Photo credit: Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images]
