If your kid won’t eat vegetables and neither will his or her parents, there is hope in the form of a new “bitterness blocker” that will improve the tastes of those green leafy things. If the ultimate hope is for broccoli to taste like an ice cream sundae, one can forget about that, but scientists at the American Chemical Society are seriously working on a way to make healthier foods better tasting.

An enhanced “bitterness blocker” called GIV3616, was presented at the national conference of the American Chemical Society. When added to food, it targets particular taste buds and prevents them from recognizing bitter tastes known as “off notes”. Until now, these bitter tastes in processed foods have often been masked with unhealthy ingredients, such as excess salt, sugar and fat.

Food scientists refer to people with a heightened sensitivity to bitter foods as “supertasters,” and while this figure only covers about 25 % of the population, probably 100 % of all children fall into this category. Food colorings and cute shapes cannot override a dislike for the taste of some foods and it is hoped that GIV3616 can change all that.

The special compound is expected to go on sale this coming summer and it is likely that the first products to contain it may well be diet drinks. Food products are invariably next, and it is possible that in the very near future children may actually crave vegetables! (Or will it be the chemical improving the taste of the vegetables?)

The health benefits of such a situation are immeasurable at this point, but this new breakthrough can only mean healthier eating for future generations.

The day may well come in the near future when children watching an old Popeye cartoon will think the old man is nuts for not liking spinach.

The American Chemical Society has good news for the construction industry when it comes to finding the proper materials to rebuild America’s crumbling bridges and roadways. On March 29 at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, an exciting way to save billions of taxpayer dollars was presented. The new coating material for concrete is known as flyash, and it is made from left over burning coal. This material could extend the life of structures by decades, and is hundreds of times more durable than existing coatings and costs half as much.

More than 130 million tons of “flyash” are created every year, byproducts of the more than 450 coal-burning electric power plants in operation throughout the United States. This ash, which before the anti -pollution laws flew up into smokestacks and into the air, power plant officials collect with loving care.

Flyash is not without its problems, as almost 70 % of it winds up in landfills every year. Researchers at the American Chemical Society are trying to turn that aspect around because they are certain that this waste could be transformed into a valuable resource. Flyash acts as a shield on concrete, which keeps it from crumbling as it ages.

Significant laboratory testing reveals that the coating maintains strength and durability when exposed to heat, cold, rain, and other simulated climactic conditions, which are harsher than any that would occur in the real world.

This new material represents a giant step in sustainable living and the recycling of materials. What was once waste is now a source of cheap and powerful energy.

Saving this planet must be everyone’s business and hats off to the American Chemical Society!